Love Quadruple
by Duskywhiterose
Summary: Betty brings out the goodness in Reggie, and the two can't deny their strong passionate feelings for each other. Archie isn't what he seems. And are there some major changes in Veronica's life? What about Juggie? Completed.
1. A New Beginning

The continuous ringing of the shrill alarm finally woke up the groggy seventeen-year-old blonde. She opened her crystalline blue eyes and stared at the flashing red numbers on her radio clock. 7:53. Enough time to take a quick shower grab some breakfast and walk to school. Usually Betty Cooper looked forward to bright and beautiful mornings, such as this one. There was one thing that always seemed to automatically pull her out of bed and look her best for school. Or rather, there was always one person who made her do that. Turning to her other side, she picked up the picture on her side table of that one person she desired the most. With his red hair and adorable freckles, his boy-next-door charm was attractive to many. Smiling, albeit sadly, she put the picture back on the table. No matter how much she may follow Archie Andrews around like a love sick puppy and no matter how many times Archie would say he liked her the same way she liked him, she knew it wasn't true. He always belonged to Veronica and there was nothing she could do about it.

Betty had changed her looks considerably ever since senior year began. She realized it was time for a little change, even if it wasn't a dramatic one. She grew her blond hair longer and her long bangs framed her pale face. Reading about the various hazards of tanning, she had long decided to give up her sunbathing days.

She tried to convince her best friend, Veronica Lodge to do the same, but of course, Veronica always put her beauty way ahead of her health. Both girls were strikingly different in appearances and personality. The brunette was deeply tanned, with no bangs covering her face since she believed no bangs made her look a bit more sophisticated. Her skin was smooth, absolutely flawless. Her hair always let down, flowing down her back. Betty too let her hair down once in a while but it was always tied up in a high ponytail, with loose strands framing her face. She had smooth, clear skin too, and light freckles dotted around her nose that only added to her charm and innocence.

Betty was the brilliant student and smartest in school next to Dilton Doiley who practically ate, breathe and slept math and science. Since senior year started, she had managed to get the editor-in-chief position of the high school paper, _Riverdale Blue and Gold. _And since the school paper took up so much of her time, she decided to give up cheerleading. Which was a shame since not only did the routines and exercises keep her in tiptop shape, but also apparently it was one of the few ways to really get Archie's attention.

Veronica was always the one leading the "cool" group at school, the trendsetter. She was never a follower. Veronica actually managed to snag co-captain title of the cheerleaders, which was no easy feat. She had to work hard to compete with Cheryl Blossom, who had transferred to their school. Betty and Veronica remained best friends throughout their rivalry in seeking attention from a certain cute redheaded guy.

Archie hadn't really changed too much since becoming a senior. He did however let his hair grow out a little to let the ends brush against his neck. And of course, he also stopped wearing those bright colored pants. Neither did Reggie Mantle, Archie's archrival. Archie was still your average everyday good guy, an All-American flirt. And Reggie, well, let's just say over the years, he's been greatly misunderstood.

Walking down the sidewalk, Betty quickly tied her sweater around her waist. She wondered how the weather had changed from cold to hot in just one day. She readjusted the strap of the bag on her shoulders and continued walking when she heard a very familiar voice call out to her.

"Hey babe," came a sexy drawl.

Without bothering to turn around, Betty rolled her eyes and continued walking. "I told you not to call me that, Reg. Do you know how sexist that sounds?" Betty asked.

"Well, I don't know about sexism, but what else should I call you?" Reggie asked innocently. He was driving alongside Betty in his sports car.

"Save it for Veronica, Reg," Betty said lightly. She knew the guys would go gaga for Veronica as soon as she shows up in class and no one would give Betty a second glance. It didn't make her jealous anymore but she didn't want to mistake Archie or Reggie falling for her when they were only flirting harmlessly.

Reggie laughed. Betty liked the way he laughed. It didn't sound so fake as the laughter made by him playing a prank on one of the gang. With Betty, Reggie laughed the way other guys would, a little loud, mirth crinkling up Reggie's eyes adorably. Out of all their friends, it seemed as if Betty understood Reggie the most. She knew Reggie wasn't really that mean-spirited, and did have a good heart.

"Want a ride, Bets?" Reggie asked shaking her out of her thoughts.

Smiling, Betty turned around and tossed her backpack in the rear seat. "Thanks, Reg," she smiled and turned to Reggie. No doubt, Reggie was one of the best-looking guys in school. Reggie was as sexy as Archie was cute and good-looking. Reggie had been away during the summer and came back just a week before school. If Reggie was good looking before, he was downright gorgeous now. He was naturally slightly dark, almost as if he had a tan. He had longish black hair, which looked tousled, as if he hadn't bothered combing them. "So, did you finish the Algebra questions?" Betty asked

"Well, yeah, but I couldn't get number 7. What say you show me how it's done as soon as we get to school?" Reggie asked smoothly, glancing at Betty sideways.

"It's gonna cost ya, Mantle."

"Yeah?" Reggie half-smiled. "Name your price, Cooper."

Betty smiled sweetly and said, "Two scoops of chocolate at Pop Tate's after school."

Reggie rolled his eyes in mock frustration. "Dammit, I knew I shouldn't have picked you up. You're just after my money, aren't you?"

Betty stuck out her tongue at Reggie and said, "You weren't supposed to know that," then added seriously, "Actually, I need to talk to you about Ronnie's birthday party. We need to get some of the details talked out you know?"

"Yeah," Reggie replied. He returned his gaze to the road. He wondered how he felt differently towards Betty than he did to Ronnie a few months ago. _Sweet, beautiful Betty_. He had to have her. He couldn't stand the fact that Betty was gaga over Archie who obviously didn't love her when he himself was falling for her... hard.


	2. Rejected

The sound of laughter filled the half-empty halls of Riverdale High. Looking at the laughter's owner, one wouldn't think that just this morning Betty had been dreading school. At the sound of her laughter, Reggie grinned widely, happy with the fact that he was the one causing her so much joy at the moment.

Chuckling, Betty pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "So what did Midge say then?" she asked, as they made their way through the hall to Betty's locker.

Reggie wanted nothing more than to push those strands of hair behind her ear himself. He had to physically restrain himself. Stifling a sigh, he put on his most arrogant smile and replied, "What else could she say? You know she digs me."

"Uh huh."

"No, really. If it weren't for Moose, Midge would have been mine. Heck, it wouldn't even take so much pursuing on my part. Chicks can't get enough of me," he replied, flashing one of his dazzling smiles that worked on just about everybody. _Yeah, everybody but Betty, _he thought. The truth however, was that Reggie had stopped pursing Midge for the past two months. Actually, the past two months before summer for which he wasn't in Riverdale anyway, making it a full five months. He hadn't asked Midge for a date since then and said account of his latest conquest was just an excuse to maintain his reputation as a player... a flirt... a womanizer. _Some reputation, _he thought with a mental sigh. A few months ago, he'd relish at the thought of being every guy's worst enemy and every girl's fantasy. Now he couldn't really care less. So why was he so intent on trying to impress Betty like this when he well knew she doesn't go for such types of guys?

"If you say so, Reggie. You know it would help if you take it down a notch on the ego scale. If you think us girls would go for that kind of attitude, then maybe you don't know us so well." Betty replied, turning the combination on her lock and opening her locker. Reggie folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the locker next to hers, staring intently at her face. Betty went through the piles of books to find ones she would need for her next few classes. _You're wrong, Betty. I'm not like that. I was never like that. But then again, you wouldn't ever give me a chance. You'd always say no to me for that dumb Archie... wait a second, how CAN she say yes, Reg? Every time she'd try to open you up to her, you'd distance yourself, putting on that conceited jerk facade. Just once tell her how you feel about her._

Reggie felt that maybe he SHOULD ask her out on a formal date. Maybe, just maybe she'll say yes. Besides, the homecoming dance was coming up in about a week. It wouldn't hurt to just ask, Mantle. _Then again, if she says no, that WOULD hurt. _He opened his mouth to ask her when she suddenly cut in first. "Reg, do you think there's a chance Archie might ask me out to the homecoming dance?"

And that's when he was once again reminded why he could never ask Betty out. Why he could never reveal his feelings for her, why he felt he never had a chance with her. His question immediately died in his throat and what felt like a heavy weight set itself on his heart.

"Reggie?" Betty asked, looking into his face.

"Huh?" Reggie mentally shook his head. "Sorry babe, was thinking of something else. What did you say?"

"I asked if you think Archie would ask me to the dance... you know, with Veronica and Cheryl too... do you think I might have a chance?" Betty asked, her blue eyes filled with hope. Reggie knew there was absolutely no way he could give her an honest answer without shattering her heart. So he did what he always did best. He lied.

"Sure. I don't see why not. Carrot-top needs to understand Ronnie is way out of his league. And I'm going to ask her." At her crest-fallen look, he realized that he had offended her without meaning to. He wanted to kick himself. "Look, I didn't mean it the way it sounded. I mean, I'd have asked you out myself if I didn't have other plans." In truth, he didn't have any other plans. But with there being no hope in going with Betty anyway, he didn't see why he needed to go. Oh sure, he could find anyone to be his date. _Just not Betty, _he thought sadly.

A little surprised, Betty smiled. "Thanks, Reggie."

Reggie grinned. He loved her smile and couldn't get enough of it. However, his smile faltered when a certain redheaded guy caught his sight. Archie. He stood just a few feet behind Betty, talking to a rather scantily clad Cheryl Blossom. Seeing his face, Betty turned to face whomever Reggie was staring so intently at, only to find the object of her desire talking to Cheryl. Even though she felt a slight sting of jealousy at the sight of Archie enjoying his conversation with Cheryl too much and the fact that Cheryl's hand seemed to touch his arm every two seconds, she put on her best smile and was about to walk to him when she stopped dead in her tracks.

To Reggie's disbelief, Archie and Cheryl started to make out right in front of Betty as if they were an old married couple. He really wished Betty hadn't seen this. She didn't deserve to be treated this way by Archie. She deserved better. And he wished he could give her what she deserved. Betty swiveled around and started to walk past Reggie, her eyes filled with tears. Reggie grabbed her arm gently, stopping her. "Betty...?"

For a few seconds Betty stared into his concerned brown eyes, and even gave him a slight smile, assuring him she'll be fine. She gently pulled her arm out of his grasp and made her way through the rapidly filling hallway. Reggie watched her back until she disappeared into one of her classrooms. How _can Archie do that to her? Betty loves him so much... how can he break her heart like this? The least he could do is swap saliva with Cheryl somewhere Bets can't see them!_ Turning around he realized Betty had left her locker door wide open and slammed it shut, mostly for Archie and Cheryl's benefit. Archie, of course, didn't even hear the door slam. No surprise there. Cheryl, however, did and her eyes opened wide at the sight of Reggie, seething. Her eyes narrowed and she smiled after pulling Archie for a hug. With a disgusted look, Reggie turned and headed for his Calculus class.

As Cheryl checked her reflection in the mirror, she couldn't help but replay Reggie Mantle's rage in her mind. Now him... he was a man. Archie was someone she enjoyed using. He'd attend to her every needs, would break his date with Betty AND Veronica at the slightest promise of giving him something better that neither girl could give. But he left her unsatisfied, unfulfilled. Archie Andrews was definitely not a challenge. One sultry look, and he was all over you.

Applying her favorite Ruby Red lip-gloss on her lips with the wand, she wondered what exactly was Reggie so mad about. She had seen Betty making over to her and Archie when she decided to toy with the girl's emotions a little. Cheryl never liked Betty. She hated her guts. Betty was this innocent, good-natured people who didn't rely on their looks or fame to gain popularity. No, Betty was definitely not like that. Everybody loved Betty. Why? Because Betty was this all-round girl-next-door kinda beauty everybody went crazy for. She had this personality that would draw people to her.

She hated those kind of people.

But what about Reggie? What was he so upset about? The only two reasons she could think of for his behavior was that either he held a soft spot for Betty and couldn't stand the way Archiekins was treating her... or... was it possible that he acted like that out of jealousy? _Maybe he's got a thing for me,_ Cheryl thought. She thought about this for a minute. Her and Reggie. They wouldn't make a bad couple. And besides, Reggie had always seemed to be immune to her charms.

Walking out the bathroom, Cheryl confirmed her resolved. Waving to a guy who stood near the door, she barely noticed his happy smile as she thought of what to do next. _Reggie Mantle will be mine. I'll make sure of that._


	3. Is he worth it?

By the time the loudly shrill bell had rung signaling the end of the day, Betty's hurt and pain had eased considerably. This was a regular thing. By now, Betty was so used to Archie's behavior; she'd recover with lesser time... but not without leaving a scar deep within her heart.

She was in the school newsletter room, proofreading an article turned in by Ethel about the latest sketching competition. As usual, Chuck Clayton had won, as he always did. But Betty was finding it very hard to concentrate on the article before her. _Why do I even stand for this? Why can't I just leave him and get over it? It's better than hurting myself whenever I see him with somebody else._

Sighing, she tried to clear her head of thoughts of Archie and proceeded to correct a double-negative error in the article. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning, she looked to find no one there. Puzzled, Betty turned around to face her paper again only to be startled by Reggie, who was perched at the edge of the desk, smiling his infamous smile. Betty rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling back, as she picked up her pen.

"S'up, babe?"

"Reggie..." Betty was about to tell him not to call her that again but let it slide. Adding a little sticky note with a memo to the article, she got up to put Ethel's article in her cubicle. "We need to talk about Ronnie's party. Since it's only two days away, we need to work fast. Do you have any ideas where we could have the party?" Betty turned to find Reggie sitting on a chair, facing the back. She walked over to him and perched on the desk, which was previously occupied by him.

"Well, I was thinking. Why not hold the party at Pop's? Easy on the budget, you know. And you know Pops will agree, too. We've been going there since we were what, preschoolers?" Reggie said, resting his chin on the back of the chair.

Betty pondered over this. Sure it won't be as elegant or regal as the formal affairs Ronnie was used to attending, but even she'd enjoy it. "You know, Reg, that isn't a bad idea... for once you suggested something right," she said with an amused smile. She loved teasing Reggie. It wasn't really easy to rile him up but she enjoyed his amusing comebacks.

"When have I ever been wrong?" Reggie replied back, with a fake air of insult.

"Well, there was this one time at summer camp when you convinced everybody about the Mud Monster when it was only Juggie who had fallen into the mud pit-"

"Hey, we were only twelve, okay."

"And this other time when Archie told you he had too many dates and you went around town telling all the girls he's a womanizer when he really was talking about the dates you eat that his cousin sent to him from California-"

"Yeah, well, he deserved it anyway." Reggie said, indifferently.

"Or this other time-"

"All right already! Jeez..." Betty couldn't help but giggle. When she was done, she noticed Reggie had gone very quiet, like he was thinking about something. "Pennies for your thought, Reg?"

"Betty..." Reggie hesitated for a second before continuing. "About this morning..." His eyes shifted to the floor. Betty understood what he was talking about. Ever since recently, he had started caring for her a lot. She only wished he were as nice to others as he was to her. And after Ronnie, he seemed to be the one she'd confide a lot.

"Reggie, I know what Archie did was really hurtful. But it's not like we're going steady or anything. I guess... I guess he has a right to do anything he wants." Even though it hurt to say that, she had come to accept this realization. She started to gather up her papers and started putting them in her bag.

"You may not be steady with him yet, Betty, but that doesn't mean he has the right to play with your feelings! Supposedly, I'm the famous womanizer of the school... but even I know better than to hurt a girl like he does on a regular basis." Reggie said, a little loudly.

"Don't say that about Archie, Reggie. You don't know him well enough to say what's on his mind." Even though she said that, in her heart she knew what he said was true.

"Betty," Reggie began. "What do you see in him?" he asked, a little softly this time. He looked into her eyes as if what her words couldn't reveal, her eyes might. Betty didn't have an answer for him. She didn't have one for herself. _I don't know, Reggie. I don't know what I see in him. But I can't leave him, either. I wish I knew why..._

As if on cue, Archie Andrews sprinted into the room. Without looking at Reggie, he walked over to Betty and planted a quick kiss to her cheek. Surprised at his sudden appearance and pleased at his kiss, she blushed. The events of early that morning had suddenly disappeared, as if they had never happened. "Hey, Bets. I thought I'd find you here." He looked at Reggie and gave him a friendly nod. "Reg," he simply said. Reggie gave him a nod back and proceeded to stare holes in the floor.

"I was wondering if you'd want to go to the homecoming dance with me. That is, if no one's already asked you yet," Archie said, chuckling as if he knew that even if Betty had already asked anybody she'd agree to go out with him instead. And of course, Betty nodded a quick yes, much to Reggie's disappointment. "Great!" Archie smiled. He put an arm around her shoulders and said, "You want me to drop you off home, Bets?"

Betty looked at Reggie, as if suddenly remembering him to be there. "Um, actually, I promised Reggie we'd go to Pop's..." she said hesitantly. Archie raised an eyebrow at this. Betty didn't want him to think she was ditching Archie to be with Reggie. Reggie must have sensed this as his eyes seemed to turn cold and he spoke in an equally cool tone. "No, it's okay. Go ahead." Reggie got off the chair and slung his jacket over his shoulder.

Archie didn't seem to notice his tone. But Betty did. "Are you sure, Reggie? We can always go to Pop's another time," she offered.

"Yeah, sure. Besides, I should get started on calling everybody about Ronnie's birthday." Reggie started making his way towards the door.

"Wait, Ron's birthday? Is that... holy crap! I almost forgot! Man, she'd have killed me for forgetting. I wonder what I could get..." Archie rambled on as Betty's eyes followed Reggie out the door. _What's wrong with him? _she thought, concerned.


	4. Ditched

Fortunately for them, Pop's didn't have a lot of customers that night, other than the few that were told about Veronica's birthday party. And it seemed to be in full swing. Reggie looked around to see their friends hanging out, talking, laughing and gossiping. Jughead was, of course, at the bar gobbling up on Pop's famous hamburgers and fries. Midge and Moose were talking to Nancy near the jukebox. Dilton Doiley sat with Chuck Clayton, random discussions of art and science taking place. Archie was in the middle of the dance floor, showing off his moves to a hip hop beat, biting his lip in concentration. Reggie would look at him periodically and bite his lip to keep from bursting out in laughter at the sight. _Goofball... _he thought, snickering to himself. Ethel, Veronica, Betty, and Cheryl stood around in a circle, cheering him on. Finally, the song ended and so did Archie's dance, bringing about loud applause and whoops from everybody in Pop's shop.

Reggie stood between Betty and Veronica, putting an arm around both girls' shoulder. He flashed Veronica his signature smile and asked, "So how does the birthday girl like the party so far?" He and Betty hadn't really planned much. Just a few decorations here and there, some good music, a cake, and had a few friends over.

"I can't believe you guys went through so much for me!" Veronica gushed. Reggie smiled. He always liked the new Veronica better. After her constant fights with Betty over Archie, her trivial demands and ridiculous scrutiny of people's class, Veronica had finally seen the light. She realized how wealth and status had turned her into a monster. She understood why most of the men followed her around, and realized it was much better to gain meaningful friendships than make the other girls hate her due to stupid envy. Of course, she did like to show off her wealthy status. _But fortunately, she doesn't let it get to her head,_ Reggie thought. And despite her deeper bond with Betty, she still had dibs over Archie, something Betty had started to accept and would not let it crush her heart... too much.

"It's really nothing, Ron. But we're glad you like it anyway," Betty grinned from ear to ear. It meant a lot to her that Veronica appreciated what they had done for her. "Archie helped too... speaking of which, where's Archie?" Betty asked, looking around. There was no sign of him. They turned to sounds of several people gasping behind them. The trio turned around to find someone carting towards them a cake about five feet tall with tiers upon tiers.

"We all chipped in for the cake. Just about the only thing we splurged on," Jughead said, walking over to awed gang as he slurped his soda.

"You guys really shouldn't have..." Veronica trailed off, looking at the cake in admiration. Then she looked around. "But where did Archie go?"

Reggie looked around and suddenly felt nauseous. "Arch, if you're hiding in that cake and planning to surprise Ronnie, I'll kill you! After you drenched yourself out there, acting like a chimpanzee on too much caffeine... I think I'm going to be sick."

"Ha ha," Archie laughed sarcastically, poking his head out from behind the cake. After the laughter had died down, Juggie dimmed the lights down, and since the candles on the cake were already lit, Ronnie blew out the candle on the lowest tier, and the gang started whooping. Veronica took a piece of the cake, and Archie stood next to her, expectantly. Instead, she walked over to Betty, to give her the first bite. Reggie smiled satisfactorily. Archie shuffled on his feet, a little perplexed. Jughead eyed the cake, ready to attack it already and didn't notice whatever was going on.

"Happy Birthday, Ronnie," Betty whispered as she hugged her best friend.

"Bu-u-u-u-u-u-u-u-uuuurp!" Juggie burped and all but Veronica in the five friends agreed Jughead was the best burper. Veronica couldn't be any more grossed out. Even Betty was acting like them! She took out her little compact from her purse and gave her appearance a once over.

"Nice one, Jug," Reggie said, impressed. He and Archie knocked fists. Veronica rolled her eyes. Jughead folded his arms and sat back in the booth, very satisfied. Despite her nausea at the way the three boys _and_ Betty were acting, she herself felt contentment. Over the years, despite bad times and fights, the gang had never separated. Sure, their friendships had branched out to include other people, like Cheryl, Nancy, Dilton, Chuck, and the others. But the five of them always remained tight. Especially Betty and her.

Veronica swirled her spoon at the now melting low-fat frozen raspberry yogurt, as she absently thought of her friends. Archie's sudden voice broke her out of her reverie.

"Gosh Ronnie, you eat so daintily. You are the true epitome of lady-like sophistication," Archie said, leaning on the table, his hand cupping his face. He looked like a lovesick puppy... which is exactly the look Veronica loved. She grinned at Archie and turned to look at Juggie and Betty splitting a banana split. Or at least trying to. Juggie seemed to be gobbling up most of it. She wrinkled her nose after eyeing the sundae in disgust.

"Really, Betty. Do you know how many calories you're taking in?" Veronica asked, still staring at the rapidly disappearing banana split as if it was the vilest thing on earth.

"Well yeah, but it's not like I get to enjoy this on a regular basis, Ronnie," Betty shrugged, spooning the sundae. "Besides, Juggie's taking in more of the calories than I am anyway," she added dryly, looking at him gobbling up her share of the sundae. Juggie smiled apologetically without giving her share.

"You know Betty, you've started looking a little... puffy," Archie began, finally noticing her in the whole evening. "Maybe you should ease up on the ice creams and stuff," he said, too seriously to be taken as a joke. Betty blushed, finally putting her spoon in the sundae dish and pushing the rest towards Juggie, who only seemed to be too happy to finish it off.

"It's not like I ate a lot of it anyway, Archie," Betty said softly, still blushing. She started tearing her paper napkin into small pieces.

Archie laughed. "You've been eating like a pig all night, Bets."

Veronica was a little surprised at Archie's thoughtless outburst. Sure, Betty may have gained a pound or two, but she looked great. As beautiful as ever. _Men and their ridiculous standards,_ she thought slightly fuming. Thinking of something to say to make Betty feel better, she was glad when Reggie cut in instead.

"Actually, I find women with huge appetites incredibly sexy. Makes them seem more... in-control," Reggie said, smiling at Betty. She gave him an appreciative smile back. He turned to Archie. "And if you think there's something wrong with the way Betty looks, you need to get your eyes checked, Carrot-top," he said with a little sneer.

Archie just looked at him and Betty before shrugging and muttering a "whatever". He turned to Veronica. "So Ronnie, do you wanna go to the homecoming dance with me?" He asked, giving her the practiced smile he knew she couldn't resist. Veronica, forgetting all that had just happened like it had never happened, squealed. "I'd love to, Archiekins!"

In her excitement and animated chatter about plans for the night of the dance, she didn't even notice a teary-eyed Betty excusing herself, picking up her purse and heading for the door. Later on while they were leaving, she did notice Reggie in a not-so-good mood.


	5. Final Decision

The screeching of the brakes echoed throughout the night, causing a couple of howls from the neighborhood dogs. But Betty barely noticed. She barely even noticed the fact that she almost ran over her family mailbox. Her arms stretched like rods out in front of her and her knuckles turned white from gripping the steering wheel so hard. Her face was flushed a light red and she wore an expression of anger on her face. Yet, she didn't let those tears that had surfaced due to Archie's announcement to flow. Her vision was blurred with those tears but she refused to let them slide down her porcelain cheek.

Getting out of the car, she walked towards her house and a few seconds later of fumbling for the key in her purse, located it and opened the door. The whole house was in complete darkness. Her parents had gone to California to visit her older married sister, Polly. Ordinarily, she'd have felt lonely without her parents there. Now she was just glad she didn't have to face them. She just wanted to be alone. To be by herself.

Passing the den, she made her way to the kitchen, without switching on the light. The soft hum of the refrigerator seemed to be calling out her name and its light illuminated her face in a soft glow. Without thinking, she randomly grabbed a carton of milk and poured herself a glass. With the glass in hand, she decided to see what's on TV but on the way back to the den, caught her reflection in the small decorative mirror on the wall. The event at Pop Tate's flashed through her mind and the feelings of self-pity and sadness overwhelmed her once again. What does Ronnie have that I don't? She thought to herself. She remembered Archie practically calling her fat, saying she ate like a pig. She looked at the glass of milk and gingerly put it back on a small table below the hanging mirror. She looked at her reflection again. Was it her freckles? Her hairstyle? Maybe if she wore colored contacts? Or dyed her hair darker, like Ronnie's or even Cheryl's... would that make him notice?

The slamming of a car door shook her out of her thoughts. She walked towards the window where she could see Archie coming out of his car, a goofy smile plastered to his face. Since Archie lived just next door she'd count her blessings to be living so close to Archie, being able to see him coming and going from his house. But as she watched him closely, she noticed that his hair was unkempt and his face was covered in lipstick marks, the same shade as Ronnie's expensive signature lip color. Pulling the curtains down sharply, she felt hot tears threatening to surface again. She ran upstairs taking the stairs two at a time, her appetite forgotten. Pushing the half open door with the heels of her hand, sending a shock of pain through her body, which she barely registered, Betty threw herself onto her bed face first and started sobbing.

It hurt. It really, really hurt. For as far as she could remember, Betty had loved Archie, loved him with her very soul, with every fiber of her being. Ever since she lay eyes on him, she knew it was love at first sight. Betty never knew whether to believe in such a thing as love as first sight. But she couldn't explain her very strong attraction towards Archie in any other way. Betty rolled onto her back, hugging her pillow to her chest and stared at the cream colored ceiling. Her sobbing had subsided but the tears were flowing freely down the sides of her face. She had rejected every boy who had approached her for a date, for a dance, for anything remotely romantic. Only for Archie. She had always dropped everything to be with him, to make him happy.

"But where did that leave me?" Betty whispered to herself. Her tears stopped flowing and she wiped the stray ones away with the back of her hand. She rolled onto her stomach again, her chin propped up by her arms. This wasn't right. She had started accepting the fact that Archie could never be hers. She was surprisingly even starting to get over him. Until that day when he had asked her to the dance and she had accepted. It gave her hope. It made her re-think her decision about forgetting about Archie. It made her believe that maybe, just maybe she had a chance.

He had no right to break her heart, not once, not twice but countless times in their time together. She wondered why Archie ditching her to go to the dance with Veronica hurt so much. She should be used to it by now. She knew Archie just plain forgot that he had already asked Betty to the dance. _But that doesn't excuse what he did._ _He only forgot because Ronnie is more important to him. He likes her more. I'm nothing to him. I'm just someone with whom he can be with while his main squeeze is unavailable._ As she pondered this, she made a decision. Something in her suddenly felt light. As if for some reason, she felt relieved. She would break up what was left of her so-called relationship with Archie. Finish it once and for all and make the pain go away.

With her newfound resolve, she sat up in bed and turned to the side table next to her bed. A framed picture of her and Archie, taken during a carnival. She gently picked up the frame and slipped the picture out, looking at it for a few minutes. "Goodbye, Archie. I'm giving you your freedom at last. I won't bother you again," she said lightly, matter-of-factly, with no sadness or remorse in her voice. She tore the picture in two. "No hard feelings, Arch," she said, smiling.

In the next half-hour, she had cleaned her room of any letters, pictures, stuffed animals and other things that reminded her of Archie. With every tossed item in the garbage bag, Betty felt stronger, her steps felt lighter. She felt free. Independent. Liberated. She hauled the trash bag down the stairs and left it outside for the garbage men to collect it the next morning. Without glancing at Archie's house, she walked back in, closing the door behind her and kneeling on it. She let out a huge sigh. It was done. It was over.

Passing the den again on her way to the kitchen, she saw the lonely glass of milk on the table. She caught her reflection in the mirror again. The plain, boring girl she saw just a half-hour earlier was gone. In her place, she saw someone beautiful. Someone worth living for. It wasn't just her outer appearance that made her feel good about herself. It was all the things she remembered that made her... Betty. The cheery, helpful Betty everyone knew and loved. A man should love her for who she was not how she looked. And if he didn't, he wouldn't know what he was missing out on, Betty mused, giving her reflection a charming smile. Picking up her glass, she was about to head upstairs when the phone rang. Wondering whom it could be at this hour, she set her glass down again and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Babe," came the smooth voice on the other line. Betty smiled and hoisted herself up onto the counter.

"What are you doing so up late at night, Reg?" Betty asked, thinking it was late. She looked at the clock on the wall and confirmed her guess. It was a quarter past one already.

"Well, I couldn't sleep. The dance is tomorrow, dammit, and I still don't have a date! You can't expect the great Reggie to be at a dance without a pretty girl with him," Reggie replied, his tone somewhat suggestive.

Betty rolled her eyes. Typical Reggie. "What about Midge? Didn't you say you were making progress with her and stuff?" She asked, coiling the phone cord around her finger.

Reggie snorted. "Betty, I want to live to be a still sexy hundred something man. Do you think I have a suicidal wish, asking Midge to the dance?"

"No, but-"

"So since there isn't a single girl more eligible to be on my arm at the dance other than you, I ask you: Will you go to the dance with me?" He cut in, sounding a little hopeful.

Betty chuckled. That was so like Reggie. Couldn't just plain ask if she wanted to come. He had to make it sound like a privilege to be with him. "Sorry, Reg. I honestly don't feel like coming to the dance. Not anymore."

There was silence on the other line. Finally Reggie spoke again, this time more serious. "This isn't about what happened today, is it, Betty?"

Betty sighed. "Reggie, I just... I don't feel like going anymore."

"So you're taking what Carrot-top said seriously, aren't you?" Reggie said, more of a statement than a question.

"No, that's not it," Betty said, quickly. She knew he was right. Until she could go and face him again, she wouldn't be free of the dull heartache that would threaten to erupt. She made up her mind. "Okay, Reg. Pick me up at 7:30. And _don't _be late," she said after what seemed like a minute.

She could practically see Reggie's smile. "Sure, babe," his voice all smooth as velvet again. "Oh, and Betty?"

"Hmm?"

"Keep your hair down. Looks more beautiful, you know," he said, his voice husky. Before Betty could utter a word, he had hung up. So she did too. Betty grinned at his last request.

For the first time in days, Betty slept more soundly than she ever had.


	6. Confrontations

"You know, Juggie, you could get out of the way for a few minutes so the rest of us can get some punch, maybe?" Veronica huffed, her hand on her hips, her stance a little threatening. Despite her lean, feminine figure (thank you Pilates!) that left no trace of any tomboyishness, Ronnie appeared intimidating, Archie mused. She stood right behind Jug, who was busy scarfing down as much as he could at the buffet table. Archie groaned, hoping Ronnie wouldn't create a scene. Fortunately for him, she didn't have to as Jug whirled around.

"Sorry, Ron," Jughead apologized, his mouth full of chips. He gulped them down without chewing and stepped aside graciously, allowing Archie to get Ronnie her punch. Archie saw Jug giving Ronnie the once-over. "You know, Ron, you look radiant tonight." This was a surprise for Archie. Normally, Jug never declined in using his best wisecrack over Ronnie. It was just too much fun to make fun of her.

Ronnie seemed just as surprised. "Why, thank you, Juggie." Veronica had taken pains deciding what to wear. She had finally decided on a short strapless dress that was a deep green, almost black and matching pumps, accented with a matching choker with a huge gem. She had seen plenty of the other girls eying her choker enviously. "You don't look half so bad yourself."

Jughead grinned. He had ditched his crown for the occasion and slicked his hair back. He wore a white dress shirt and black tie, a black dress jacket but worn his jeans and sneakers. _Just like Jug, _Archie thought with a smile. He looked down his own navy blue formal suit complete with his signature bow-tie. Just the kind of thing Ronnie likes, he thought to himself, satisfied.

"Juggie, have you seen Betty? I sure hope she came to the dance. I'm just dying to see who her date is!" Ronnie gushed, clasping her hands together in front of her. "I called to ask her who it was but she wouldn't tell me. She said it's a surprise."

Betty. Archie sighed quietly. He hated doing it. He really did. Ditching her like that for Ronnie. He knew Betty would get hurt but come on, she should understand! When will she get the idea that he didn't love her? He only asked her to the dance because Veronica seemed to be unavailable for the dance. She had plans for vacationing at her dad's private island but changed them last minute. Now that she was available, he'd be crazy to be still going out with Betty. Archie winced at his own thoughts. No, there was nothing wrong with Betty. She was great. She was pretty, smart, sweet and a great cook. But that's where it ended. She couldn't give him the one thing he really wanted. The one reason why he really chased all the other girls. One thing that any normal, American teenage guy would want.

Neither would Ronnie, for that matter. Like last night, for example. He had been at Ronnie's hoping she'd finally give in. But she didn't. It was really frustrating. Ronnie was as boy-crazy as Archie was a womanizer. And all these years, it had been a huge surprise for him that she was still saving herself for that someone special. Archie rolled his eyes. Sure, Ronnie was beautiful, sexy and fun. But that wasn't why he was still with her. Being with Ronnie made him more of a chick magnet. Everyone wanted to be like Ronnie. Everyone wanted what she had. And she had Archie. Being with her raised him on the popularity scale, among the guys and girls. Girls wanted him. Guys envied him. And he intended to keep it that way.

And then there was Cheryl. Who had all the qualities of Ronnie and would give him what he wanted. But Cheryl wasn't like Betty. Cheryl didn't allow herself to be taken advantage of. She too was supposedly involved with somebody. A guy named Scott. Archie didn't know him very well. Just that he was on the track team. But he knew Cheryl didn't really love him. She loved Archie. Sure, she never said anything. But he knew it. He could feel it. And he supposed he felt very close to her too. But at the same time he was enjoying his popularity status with Ronnie too much to break up with her and go to Cheryl. So he'd meet Cheryl secretly. Archie saw her a few feet away, dancing with Scott. The fire of jealousy burnt hotly in his heart as he clenched his fists by his sides. Maybe a little later he could get away with Cheryl for a few minutes...

"No, I haven't. Reggie either. Normally, that guy would be dancing with pretty much every girl here," Juggie said thoughtfully. Archie broke out of his thoughts. Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Reggie ever since he and Ronnie showed up. He saw Jughead's eyes widen suddenly and face break out in a surprised grin at whatever he'd seen at the entrance. "Well, speak of the devil," he said. Both Ronnie and he whirled around to see who was at the entrance at which Ronnie squealed and sprinted toward the couple standing there as fast as her high heels could gracefully allow. Archie however, stood rooted to the spot.

He didn't think he had ever seen anything more beautiful, ever. Betty's light spaghetti-  
strap blue knee-length chiffon dress matched her light blue eyes perfectly. Her long blonde hair flowed in gentle waves and framed her face and grazed her shoulders gently, making her appear angelic. The only single piece of jewelry she wore was a small silver chain around her neck with a small light blue pendant. Her lips were painted in the palest shade of pink. She looked simple, yet amazing.

"I don't see why you had to be so hush-hush about your date, Betty!" Ronnie started. "I mean it's only Reggie, you know." Betty grinned as Reggie gave a snort of annoyance.

"Gee thanks, Ronnie. You really know how to make a guy feel confident."

Ronnie laughed lightly. She looked at Reggie and gave and approving nod. She had always appreciated Reggie's taste in clothing. Like his choice for this special occasion. A black formal jacket, black pants and black loafers with a white shirt with the top two buttons undone. Reggie knew how to look sophisticated without looking too stiff. His longish hair hung adorably in his deep, dark eyes, making him look somewhat boyish.

"Oh, Reggie. How come you and Betty came together? Weren't you going to ask Midge to the dance?" Ronnie asked, fingering her choker. At least that's what Betty had told her a few days ago.

"Jeez, why is everyone saying that? I am so over Midge, you know. And besides," Reggie hooked an arm around Betty's shoulder, "I heard Betty didn't have a date yet so here I am to th rescue," he added. Reggie glanced behind Veronica, where Jughead and Archie stood at the buffet table, not too far away. Jughead lifted his punch-filled paper cup in greeting and Reggie smiled in return. He turned his attention to Archie just in time to catch him burning holes into Reggie with his hard stare before changing his expression into a cool smirk. Perplexed, Reggie decided to find out what Archie's problem was. He hooked another arm around Veronica and guided the girls towards the buffet table where the two guys awaited. Veronica was chattering animatedly about Nancy's outfit but he noticed Betty didn't seem too attentive.

"Yo, Reg! Nice threads," Jughead said, munching on another chip. Reggie leaned over to grab a chip from the table, catching Archie stare at Betty. Feeling his blood chill, he decided he had had enough of Archie's attitude. "Yeah, I know. She looks gorgeous, doesn't she," he said, resuming his position besides Betty.

Archie seemed to break out of the staring spell and turned to Reggie, narrowing his eyes. "She does," he said simply, not taking his eyes off Reggie.

"Can you _believe_ Betty made her outfit all by herself?" Veronica started, amazed at her talented friend. Nobody said anything.

Jughead looked from Archie to Reggie, and back to Archie again, very confused. "So, uh, you and Betty decided to go together?" he asked, trying to fill in the awkward silence. Even Veronica and stopped talking and seemed to notice the tension between the group.

"Yeah, lucky for me, she said yes too," Reggie said casually, returning Archie's stare.

Archie redirected his attention towards Betty. "I didn't think you'd come. I didn't know you found a date so easily after..." he broke off, remembering that Veronica was standing next to him.

Reggie cut in before Betty could answer. "Jealous much, Carrot-top?" he said with a smirk. "Betty can have any guy she wants. And thanks to you, she finally knows that now." He reached for Betty's now cold hand and gave her a protective, reassuring squeeze. Betty smiled up to him nervously.

Archie saw that. He folded his arms across his chest. "Since when did you really care about anyone? Especially Betty?"

"You don't know what you're talking about, Archie. Reggie is twice the man you'll ever be. He's always been there for me when you haven't. Do you know why he asked me to the dance? Because you ditched me. He could have taken anyone. But he took me because he's a true friend. He's loyal, trustworthy, sweet... something _you_ will never be." Betty said, her voice surprisingly calm.

Archie felt a stab of jealousy and a little hurt but immediately squelched it. He couldn't expect Betty to understand. Betty just couldn't realize that Archie had never taken her seriously to begin with. And what the heck was all that melodramatic stuff about? He had always liked Betty. They had always been friends. She should understand however that he could never give his heart to her. She had just been a useable phase that would happen with him each time Ronnie or Cheryl or any other girl would turn him down. Someone to make him bounce back. Someone who could make him feel good and manly about himself after the other rejections. "You know, Bets, I'm sorry if I ever gave you the impression that I'd ever go steady with you but I won't. You're just... not my type. No offense." Surely Betty would understand. She always did.

"None taken Archie," Betty replied coolly. "To be honest, I realize now that you were never my type either." Her voice finally broke at that. She turned to her best friend. "Veronica, he's all yours. I don't want to have anything to do with him anymore." And with that, she turned around and walked toward the girl's bathroom as quickly as she could.

Veronica stood rooted to the spot for a while, her mouth slightly agape and very surprised. Finally, she turned toward Archie and shook her head disbelievingly at him. "I can't believe you," she spat angrily at him. Then she followed Betty toward the girl's bathroom.

"But Ronniekins! Will you just let me explain at least?" Archie called, frustrated. He started to follow her when Reggie grabbed his arm and stopped him in his tracks.

"Let them go, carrot-top. Betty needs a friend right now. Those two have never been as close as they are now. Don't try to come in between them, alright?"

Archie shrugged his arm out of Reggie's grasp. "Betty will probably fill all kinds of lies into Veronica's head about me! She'll push Ronnie away from me!" he stopped for a minute, glancing toward the door. "She's crazy. I can't believe she thought I actually wanted her that way. She-" he stopped as he was roughly shoved backwards.

"You know what, Arch? Betty isn't stupid. You lead her to believe she had a chance with you. She loved you. And you broke her heart!" Reggie said, enraged. He took a deep breath. People were looking. And public displays of rage weren't his style. "Just get out of my sight."

"Who the hell do you think -" Archie began, advancing towards Reggie before Jughead grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back. Archie whirled around to face his best friend.

"Maybe you should go, Arch."

Archie looked at his pal. Jug wore a frown on his face and his eyebrows knitted together. But what hurt Archie the most was the look of disappointment and disgust in Jug's eyes. Feeling somewhat betrayed, he roughly pushed Jug's hands off him and strode out of the gym to his car.


	7. Realizations

"Betty?"

Fortunately, the bathroom was empty. The dance was in full swing so none of the girls felt the need to use the bathroom to refresh their lipstick or to ask their friends if they had food stuck between their teeth. Veronica was glad. Betty didn't need an audience at the moment. Peering in, she saw Betty sitting in one of the vinyl benches at the end of the bathroom and walked over. Betty had her hands in her lap, staring at one of the tiles on the floor. As Veronica came closer, she saw a lone tear travel down her pale, porcelain cheek. Betty made no effort to wipe them away.

Veronica stood in front of her friend, her arms hanging helplessly by her sides. After what felt like hours, she finally spoke, her voice quiet. "He did it again, didn't he?"

"He did."

"I hope you believe me when I say I had nothing to do with this, Betty."

Betty finally looked up. Veronica was relieved to see that there wasn't a hint of hatred in her eyes. Or at least there wasn't one anymore. "I do," Betty whispered.

Veronica sighed heavily. "Why didn't you ever tell me? You know I'd have not gone with him if you told me what he did. He deserves it." She gingerly wrinkled her nose at the little plastic bench before sitting next to her best friend.

"I don't know, Ron. You and Archie..." Betty sniffled and hesitated. Veronica looked at Betty, her beautiful violet eyes urging her to continue. "He's so in love with you, Ronnie. I can't come between you guys anymore."

"Betty -"

"No, Ronnie. Over the years, we've fought over the same guy and let our friendship suffer for this. Our friendship is worth more than some guy. I mean, yeah, I guess at one point I might have started falling for him... hard." Betty's eyes filled again. "That day at Pop's, on your birthday? You know, when Archie had asked you out to the dance? He asked me first." Betty saw Veronica's eyes narrow in anger. "But you know, now it's okay," she added quickly.

"But how can he do this to you?" Veronica started but then stopped herself. If he hadn't asked you, he'd have gone with Betty, Veronica thought to herself. She felt ashamed. This was her best friend. How could she _think_ such a thing? "You should have spoken up then, Betty."

Betty smirked bitterly. "It's okay, Ron. It was kind of like a realization. Like maybe Archie and I aren't meant to be together. All those times Archie would break up our dates to be with you... I should have understood that. I even threw out all the pictures I had of him." She took a deep breath and smiled shakily. "I'm over him Ron. Done."

Veronica smiled. She was glad that Betty was finally over Archie. Relieved. "Well then what were the tears for, Betty?"

The blonde laughed. "Well, it hurt, you know. Even though I'm through with Archie, the way he talked to me, as if I had been okay with the fact that he was using me." Betty closed her eyes and sighed. "Anyway, it's done, over. It's time I did things that were good for me."

"Good for you, Betty." Veronica said, hooking an arm around Betty's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "C'mon. Let's do your makeup and fix your hair a little before going out there again." Taking her hand, Veronica led her best friend to one of the mirrors and searched her purse for a brush.

"Ron? Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Betty."

There was a few moments of silence before Betty continued. "Do you love Archie?"

It was such a simple question. How many times had Veronica asked herself that very same question? Oddly, it made her feel very uncomfortable. Archie had always stood Betty up to be with her instead. Maybe she should be able to love him. But she couldn't. Especially not after what had happened last night.

"_Come on, Ronnie. You know you want to."_

"_Archie, stop please. I've told you this before. I want to wait. I'm not ready yet."_

_Archie let go of her and sat up in her bed. Running his hand through his red hair, he exhaled, frustrated. "Dammit, Ronnie. How long will you make me wait?"_

_Veronica scrambled out of bed, as if not trusting Archie. He sensed her sudden fright and reached out a hand, but she pulled away quickly. "I think you should leave, Archie."_

_Veronica was being impossible. He needed to relieve himself but she wasn't cooperating. Cheryl. He needed Cheryl._

"_I'm sorry, Ronnie." He got up and tossed his jacket over his shoulder and leaned in to kiss Ronnie goodnight. She turned her face so that he got her cheek instead. "I'll pick you up at seven, okay?"_

_Veronica didn't answer but nodded her head slowly. She didn't look Archie in the eye. Exasperated, Archie walked out of her room and out of Veronica's heart for good._

"Ron, I'm so sorry! I can't believe Archie could do that," Betty whispered, facing the raven-haired girl now. "How long has this been going on?"

"About two or three months. At first, I didn't think it was such a big deal. But then it started to get more serious. He'd try to force me into it, saying we've been together so long and that we should just go ahead and do it." Veronica smiled at Betty reassuringly. "Don't worry, Betty dear. I can take it better than you can."

"You can say that again," Betty said, still in disbelief. "I guess it'll be easier to tell you this, then. I saw Archie a few days ago, making out with Cheryl. Sorry, Ron." Betty put a hand on her friend's shoulder, as if that would somehow help.

Veronica smiled bitterly. "Yeah, I know." When Betty raised an eyebrow at this, she continued. "I saw them at Pop Tate's together once. And they were looking pretty comfy together." She remembered that day when she first saw them together and was shattered. "No, I don't love him. I never did. At first I was really fond of him, and I guess it became more than an infatuation, you know? But, I don't love him. Not like how you loved him."

The two girls looked into their reflections in the mirror. Veronica smiled, the first real, radiant smile she had shown for a long time now. "Sooooo," she drawled. "What's up with you and Reggie, hmmm?"

"Ronnie," Betty laughed. "Nothing. What are you talking about?"

"Have you seen the way he looks at you? He looks like a lovesick puppy. And the way he was sticking up for you?" Veronica stopped. No, she wasn't going to tell Betty to like him back or to give him a chance. Betty will have to do that herself. That was part of the fun. Realizing the passion, the tension yourself without someone telling you. She was just going to watch this silently.

Before Betty could answer, Veronica spoke up again. "Okay, we're two beautiful women, all dolled up and dressed to kill. If we hung around in the bathroom too long, people will start getting ideas. So let's say we get out of here, find two handsome men and dance till we can't feel our legs anymore?"

Betty laughed and hooked an arm through Veronica's and opened the door. "Sounds like a plan."


	8. Do You Love Me?

"Hope everything's okay in there."

Jughead hoped so too. The night hadn't started off very well. Some things would just never change. Archie setting up a date with Betty, then breaking up to be with Veronica, then slinking back to Betty when Veronica rejected him. And for years, while he didn't approve of Archie's behavior, he still backed up his buddy. He knew it was wrong. But all those times Archie had supported him, he felt obligated to support Archie even when he was in the wrong.

Jughead heaved a quiet sigh, slipping a hand in his pocket. With the other, he absently shook his paper cup, swirling the ice inside. Tonight had been the last straw. Betty deserved better. Much better. Just then, Betty and Veronica emerged from the bathroom, arm in arm, and smiling from ear to ear. It was infectious, and he couldn't help but smile back. He turned to look at Reggie, catching a look of relief before replacing it with his usual casual smile.

The two girls sauntered up where the guys waited and Veronica snatched the cookie Jughead had just grabbed and quickly bit into it.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, Juggie, but right now I need it more than you do." Veronica finished the cookie in just two bites before he could say anything else.

"Aren't you supposed to be on a diet or something?" Scrutinizing the different kind of cookies kept there, he carefully picked out a bar covered in chocolate.

"Obviously, you don't know anything about a woman. Desperate times call for desperate measures. And besides," she stopped for a minute, picking out another cookie, "I can just feel my face clogging up. All this stress will definitely make me break out by tomorrow morning!" Jughead saw her staring intently at the cookie in her hand, pondering whether it was worth sabotaging her diet, then bit into it anyway.

"Aren't you over-exaggerating a little, Ronnie?" Reggie asked, a hint of amusement in his eyes. He and Jughead exchanged knowing glances. Women. Betty saw that and decided to change the topic before Ronnie noticed their smug faces and blew a fuse.

"Reg. You wanna dance?" Betty asked quickly, already grabbing his hand and pulling him in the direction of the dance floor.

"Whatever," Veronica mumbled, rolling her eyes before turning back to Jughead. She was surprised to see him looking at her, a small smile playing at his lips. She blinked. "What?"

Jughead raised an eyebrow. "Nothing."

"I saw you looking at me and smiling all goofy. What were you thinking?"

"I was looking at them, Ron. Betty and Reggie," he lied. He didn't want Veronica thinking he was acting weird. Veronica turned to see the two in the middle of the dance floor, Betty standing a little at the side, swaying her shoulders a little watching her date. Reggie was in the middle busting his moves with Chuck Clayton. Of course, he was no match for Chuck's smooth fluid dance moves to the upbeat rhythm of the music, but he was pretty good nonetheless. A few feet away Nancy was cheering them on a little too loudly.

Veronica smiled. She turned to Jug as the song ended. "They make a good couple, don't they?"

"They do. Betty needs a bad boy like Reggie and Reggie needs Betty to straighten him out." He paused as he looked at the two. The opening notes of Soul Decision's Ooh, it's Kinda Crazy poured out from the speaker's and the crowd paired up into couples. He felt a twinge of sadness. Betty chasing Archie. Archie chasing Veronica. Reggie chasing pretty much every pretty girl he saw. And Jug left at the sidelines to watch. But he had taken comfort in that predictability. Even if it had meant squelching his own feelings and desires for the one standing in front of him. He glanced at the exit where Archie had disappeared only a few minutes ago. He could still remember the look of hurt in his eyes. He knew things wouldn't be the same again.

He looked back at Betty and Reggie, dancing slowly to the music. Suddenly, Reggie executed a move with his hips that was both erotic and hilarious at the same time, earning a laugh from Betty. Jughead smiled to himself. No, he had made the right decision. Sure, he was Archie's best friend. But he could no longer watch silently as he broke Betty's heart over and over.

"Soooo..." Veronica began. "You didn't come with a date?" She reached out for another cookie. Then deciding against it, pulled away.

"You know, one more cookie isn't going to kill you, Ron."

"You didn't answer my question, Juggie."

He almost sighed. "It's not like I have anyone to go with, you know."

"Well, that's your fault, isn't it? You push away every girl who makes a move on you. Why?"

Jughead shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I guess I never felt for anybody that way."

Veronica scoffed. "That's really hard to believe, Juggie. Unless..." Her eyes suddenly widened.

"I don't swing that way, Ron," He laughed softly. "Not that there's anything wrong with that."

"No. But have you seriously never felt for anybody?" Veronica asked, trying to get back on the topic.

She was genuinely interested, Jug thought. He could just say it. Obviously, Veronica and Archie already broke up. Why not? "Well, there is someone."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Really? Anybody I know?"

"As a matter of fact, yeah."

Finally, all her composure and patience lost, she grabbed Jughead's arm excitedly, ready to be the first to know who was Jughead Jones' first love.

Jughead looked at her silently for a few moments. No, this wasn't the right time. She wasn't ready to hear that she was the one he's been in love with for so long. She'd have to wait. He'd have to wait. "I can't tell you yet."

"Oh my gosh, Juggie. You have absolutely no right to keep me in suspense like this! I demand you tell me right now!"

He grinned. At least Veronica was out of the glum she'd been with after her apparent breakup. "Sorry, Ron. No can do. Deal with it." He saw Veronica narrow her eyes to slits and stifled a laugh. "You wanna dance?"

Veronica raised an eyebrow, looking surprised. Jughead wasn't sure if it was genuine or if she was just pretending. "Oh, you can dance, too? With those two left feet of yours?"

He smirked. "So I've got two left feet. What's _your_ excuse?"

She rolled her eyes and seemed to be pondering over it a few seconds. "Well," she began. "It's over with Archie, and all the suitable guys seem to be taken," she paused, then smiled brightly. "Sure, why not? I guess tonight won't be such a complete waste after all."

She took grabbed Jughead's hand, much to his delight, and lead him to the dance floor.

* * *

_Ooh it's kind of crazy,  
I've been thinking baby,  
Gotta get you out of my mind..._

"You know, you're pretty good."

Reggie grinned at the compliment. He placed his hands around Betty's slim waist, moving along to the rhythm of the beat as Betty wound her hands behind his neck.

"You think that was good? Wait till you see this." He quickly took her hand and turned her once and quickly dipped her, making her squeal in surprise. Gently pulling her up again, he replaced his hands in their original position on her and they continued moving slowly to the music. His eyes caught the sudden sparkling of Veronica's green choker and turned to saw her and Jughead dancing. "Hey Bets, check it out."

Betty turned to see Veronica leading Jug to the dance floor. Curious, she continued to stare, as did the other couples around her. Veronica Lodge and Jughead Jones dancing? That was a first. Veronica caught her eye and gave her a little shrug. Jughead didn't seem too nonchalant about all the ogling going on. His ears and neck above the collar were a deep shade of pink. Betty stifled a chuckle.

"I thought Ron cared too much about her reputation to be seen with a dork like Jug," Reggie commented, still perplexed. He watched as Veronica dipped her head back in laughter at something Jug must have said. "She must really be desperate."

Betty rolled her eyes. "Veronica's not so bad, you know. And Jug's a human being too. I don't see anything wrong with them dancing together."

Reggie looked at them again. No, he couldn't find anything wrong with them dancing together either. "They look good together." Betty continued. "What do you think?"

"I wouldn't play matchmaker so soon, Bets. Jug isn't exactly the relationship type. And neither is Ron, come to think of it."

"Ron just never met her type."

"She's been with more guys than I can count on my fingers and toes."

Betty paused. "I could say the same thing about you and the other girls, Reg."

_If you want my love,_

_Help me heal the pain in my eyes_

_Ooh it's kinda crazy, _

_I've been thinking Baby, _

_Gotta get you out of my mind._

_Ouch_. That hurt. But she did have a point, Reggie realized. He took a deep breath. "That's 'cuz I never got to be with the one who was my type."

"Then tell me. What's your type?"

"You wouldn't understand, Bets."

"Try me."

_Why don't you take my hand, _

_And help me understand..._

Reggie was silent. No, this was definitely not the right time. Betty's heart was just starting to heal. And he didn't want her to misunderstand him as just another guy flirting with her.

"Maybe some other time, Bets." Betty opened her mouth. "Let's try to enjoy the here and now, alright?"

"Okay, Reggie. But you'll have to tell me sooner or later. I won't let you go."

He winked as he said, "I wouldn't want you to let me go either, babe."

* * *

Cheryl smiled to herself as she zipped up her dress on the back of her dress. Beside her in the backseat, Archie slumped on the seat, a languid smile on his face. She was glad she had followed Archie to this car after his and Reggie's fight. It gave her the opportunity to provide fuel to the already burning fire that was Archie's rage. "You know, Archie," she began carefully as she pulled out her compact from her purse. "It seems weird that Betty should be with Reggie at the dance." She casually applied lip gloss to her already red-pouted lips.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Archie's smile turn into a sneer. "They deserve each other. Reggie's just some jerk out to get some, if you know what I mean. And Betty's so naive and stupid, I think she'll deserve what's coming to her from Reggie."

Cheryl thought Archie was just out to 'get some' himself and she didn't think Betty was as naive as Archie thought but she kept it to herself.

"I'm glad all that's over, though. At least now, I get to be with you, Cheryl." Archie said softly, taking her hand.

Cheryl almost rolled her eyes. She knew where _this_ was going.

"I love you, Cheryl. Now, we don't have to worry about sneaking around Betty and Veronica. And you can dump that loser, Scott. We can be together now."

That was anything BUT what Cheryl wanted. She wasn't the relationship type. She was just fooling around with Archie for the excitement of sneaking around. She wasn't interested. But seeing Archie's puppy dog look, she decided to play along. For a little while. At least until she got what she wanted. And what she wanted was Reggie Mantle. "I love you too, Archie," she said quickly.

Archie took her in her arms and embraced her. Cheryl smiled to herself, her eyes narrowing. _Only a matter of time, Reggie. Then you'll be all mine._


	9. Pegged All Wrong

1Fall slowly started to give way to winter. The last golden leaf fell to the ground. The residents of Riverdale woke up to the sounds of numerous leaf-blowers, upset at having woken up so early on a Sunday morning.

Betty climbed up the stairs of the nursing home slowly, humming a song to herself. She didn't really understand why people were so grumpy in the morning. The morning rays of the sun would always brighten her mood. She always preferred morning to night anyway. A cold breeze blew around her, making her shiver. She tightened her jacket around her closer as she opened the door of the nursing home.

Volunteering at the nursing home had always made Betty feel good about herself. She felt as comfortable here as she would in her own home. And the seniors residing there, so nice and friendly. People had this misconception about old people. That they're always grumpy, looking forward to the end of their lives, always depressed and not able to do things on their own. There was a time when even she herself thought so. That was the main reason she had volunteered in the first place. Wanting to help people who weren't as lucky as her. After almost a year, she now thought differently. She had them pegged all wrong. Old people had this... life in them. Though their faces may be etched with wrinkles and hands shaking, the wrinkles acted as a form of badge of achievement. They said that they were once teenagers too as Betty, went to college, got their first meaningful job, got married. They had children and grandchildren. They made mistakes and learned from them. They were so full of wisdom and knowledge.

But Betty realized all was not as happy and great with them either. The strong hands that once picked up their children so that they could see a baseball game better now shook with old age. The eyes that had seen their kids grow up were now squinted and would turn to the window every now and then, hoping to see their kids coming to see them.

Betty walked up to the front desk. Miriam, the receptionist, sat there doing a crossword puzzle. Miriam was an oversized lady, in her early forties. Her hair was cut short with a mop of red curls. "Hello, darlin'," Miriam drawled in her thick Southern accent. Her eyes squinted in a smile as she handed Betty a pen to sign in.

"Hi, Miriam," Betty said, signing in. Miriam's smile was very infectious.

"Lovely weather, ain't it?"

"Oh, yeah. At least it won't snow till another month."

"Ain't it the truth." Miriam sighed. "Now in the south, back where I lived we din' got to worry 'bout no snow."

"Miriam? How's Mrs. Watson doing?"

Miriam sighed again, more deeply this time. "The poor dear is just hangin' on, bless her soul. Ain't no family left to ease her pain, neither."

Betty nodded. She remembered Mrs. Watson's husband passed away two years ago due to leukemia and her only son had died many years ago in a war.

"But that boy, he's been comin' round almost every day now to cheer her up. Bless his heart," Miriam murmured, a sad smile playing at her lips.

Betty blinked. She didn't know anyone still came to see Mrs. Watson. "Really? What boy?"

"I reckon he's your age, hon. Can't remember his name... Ronald or Randy or somethin'. He's in there with her right now, though, if you wanna see who it is." Miriam winked. "He's a real looker, too." Miriam turned to her clipboard. "Today you're wanted in making lunch in the kitchen, Betty."

Betty smiled and nodded absently before heading towards Mrs. Watson's room. Opening the door slightly, she heard a soft chuckle. She blinked in surprise, seeing Reggie in a chair near her bed talking to her animatedly. As if sensing her presence, he looked at the door, just as surprised to find Betty there as she was to find him there. "Betty?"

"Hey, Reg," Betty walked to Mrs. Watson's other side and sat on the other chair. She took her small hand in hers. "How are you feeling today, Mrs. Watson?"

"Much better, dear. Thanks to Reggie," she said, beaming at Reggie. He smiled but not before blushing slightly. "Do you two know each other?"

"Yes, we both go to the same school. We're friends." Betty looked at him questioningly. Reggie just shrugged.

The three sat there chatting like old friends. An hour later, Betty looked at her watched and quickly rose to her feet. "Oops. Miriam told me I'm needed in the kitchen. And I totally forgot," Better gave Mrs. Watson a quick gentle hug. "I'll stop by before leaving, Mrs. Watson."

"I'd like that very much, dear."

"Hey, Bets," Betty turned to look at Reggie. "When, you're ready to go, I'll go with you. Maybe we could grab a soda or something from Pop Tate's?"

Betty smiled. "Sure, Reggie. I'd like that very much." She closed the door behind her.

Reggie stared at the closed door for a few moments before smiling sheepishly and turning towards Mrs. Watson. She was looking at him with a knowing smile on her face. "What?"

"Is this one of those situations where a boy like yourself is in love with a girl like Betty yet can't tell her?"

Reggie blinked. Was it that obvious? "Well, I..." He trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Mrs. Watson nodded understandingly. "I know how you feel, Reggie. I went through the same thing when I was your age." She looked out the window. Despite the trees swaying in the breeze, the sun was out. "Reggie dear, is it's not too much trouble, could we go outside? It is so terribly stuffy in here."

"No trouble at all." He helped Mrs. Watson into her wheelchair and helped put on her sweater, and bundled her with blankets so she wouldn't catch cold outside. As they headed out into the garden, Reggie wondered how she would have gone through the same thing.

As if on cue, she spoke again. "When I was in high school, I was crazy about Ned." Ned was Mrs. Watson's late husband. "There he was, this handsome football player. And I was just a wallflower. I couldn't muster up the courage to tell him how I felt. Then, one day, as I was finally about to ask him to a dance, I saw another girl, Mary-Anne, come between and ask him first. Now Mary-Anne was quite a pretty little redhead everybody liked."

_Archie_, Reggie nodded understandingly.

"So I thought I didn't have a chance and left without hearing his answer. My mother forced me to go to the dance and I ended up going alone. All my friends had a date. But I didn't." She chuckled.

"So what happened?"

"Well, I was sitting on a chair in a corner, looking at the floor. Trying to disappear. And I hear this deep voice saying, 'May I have this dance?' and when I look up, it's Ned."

Reggie smiled. He figured the story would somehow end this way.

"We became high school sweethearts. Got married after graduation and the rest, as you kids say, is history." They approached a nearby bench and Reggie sat down on it, facing Mrs. Watson. She took his hand in hers. "The point my dear, is that I got lucky. But you shouldn't wait for something to happen, hoping luck would be on your side. I can tell that you love Betty."

"I do." No sense in denying it anymore. "But I'm afraid she'll reject me. I don't exactly have a good reputation with women. I've done some pretty stupid things."

"Reggie dear, if she knows you like I do, she'll accept you."

"That's what I'm afraid of. What if she doesn't know that I'm trying to change? And even if she does know, what if she still says no?"

Mrs. Watson squeezed his hand. "Honey, if there's one thing I've learned it's that you can't go through life thinking 'What if?'. It's better to have tried and failed than to not have tried at all."

Reggie nodded his head. Mrs. Watson was right. He didn't want to live his life just wondering what if he had confessed to Betty of his love.

* * *

"Why couldn't I have gotten stuck with Dilton? He's so smart. This little project would have been a straight A."

"You mean by letting him do all the work?" Jughead asked.

"FYI, _Juggie_, I do my fair share of work too." Veronica rolled her eyes. Jughead opened the door to Pop Tate's for Veronica. She smiled appreciatively before letting herself in. Veronica found a booth and pulled out her notebook and pen while Jughead went to order up front. Hearing Jug order a low-fat smoothie for Veronica, she sat back in her booth satisfied. She was chewing on her pen thoughtfully when he came back with a tray full of food.

"Well, Bon apatite!" he said, reaching for his cheese burger.

"God, how can you_ eat_ that crap?" Veronica shuddered.

"The same way you can sip that sissy little smoothie of yours, I guess." Jug shrugged his shoulders casually before digging in.

"At least it won't clog my arteries and give me zits."

"Hey, you only live once you know. And besides, don't knock it till you've tried it."

Veronica looked at the little heart attack on a bun. Despite her better judgement, she reached tentatively for it. No matter how bad it was for her, she had to admit, it did look good. Better than her meager smoothie anyway. But at the last second, she quickly pulled her hand back.

Jughead saw this and snorted. "Are you sure you're not anorexic or something?"

She rolled her eyes. "First of all, anorexia is a serious problem. I don't have a serious problem. I just choose to live a nice, healthy life."

Jughead turned serious. "What's life if you can't enjoy it sometimes?"

He had a point. She supposed it wouldn't hurt to try just ONE measly burger.

"If you're worried about gaining weight. Trust me. One burger won't hurt you. Besides, you're way too skinny anyway. Don't you ever eat or something?"

Her eyes practically bulged out of their eye sockets. "Skinny! I am not skinny, okay!"

"Then I suppose you won't have a problem finishing this burger?"

"Not only will I finish it," she scoffed, "but I bet I can finish it before you."

"You're on!"

**Ten minutes later.**

"Oh that was so degrading! I can't believe you talked me into this."

Jughead leaned back into the booth and let out a loud belch, earning a look of disgust from Veronica. "How can you even walk after eating so much?"

Jughead looked at the fries Veronica was nibbling on. "You gonna finish that?"

"Oh my god! You eat like a pig!" she laughed disbelievingly as she threw a single fry at him."

"Well, well, well, look what we've got here, Archiekins."

Veronica's laughter stopped instantly as her head jerked up. There stood Cheryl, arm-in-arm with Archie. She wore a sneer on her face while Archie wore one of disbelief. Then he looked at Jughead who looked back calm and cool. "What are you two doing here?" Archie asked.

"Since when has that ever been your business, Archie?" Veronica replied instead.

Archie raised an eyebrow. "Since you started seeing Jug behind my back."

"FYI, Archie, I'm not doing anything behind your back. In case you don't remember or you're still in denial, we broke up," she sneered. "And secondly, Juggie's my _friend_. If he and I want to hang, what's _your_ problem?"

Archie was silent. Cheryl smirked. "You've sunk to an all-time low, Veronica Lodge. Jughead Jones? Really, you can do better than that." She pulled Archie closer, much for Veronica's benefit.

"Look, Arch," Jughead began. "It's not how it looks. We were just working on our Science project, and thought this was a good place to start so -"

"Save it, Jug." Jughead felt a stab of pain in his heart at Archie's bitter tone. How could he misjudge his own best friend? He had always stayed away from Ronnie, only for Archie sake. Archie turned toward Veronica. "And as for you," he began with an arrogant smirk. "I've always loved Cheryl, not you. Or poor little Betty for that matter. You think you're all that don't you? You're just a frigid little -"

"Oh, Archiekins," Cheryl said soothingly. "Why waste your time on her? It's so obvious she doesn't care what you say. I'm sure she's heard plenty of similar comments from others, considering her reputation with men." She looked at Veronica, her eyes narrowing to slits. "Frankly, I don't see why the men go for her anyway. She's just a little slu-"

Veronica stood up, picked up her strawberry smoothie and dumped it on top of Cheryl's head, all in one fluid motion. Cheryl yelled out a shriek of rage. Some of the other teens dispersed in Pop Tate's snickered silently. Jughead looked at Cheryl in shock then turned to Veronica with an amused smile of admiration. His amusement was short-lived as suddenly, with what sounded like a war cry, Cheryl pounced on Veronica and toppled her to the floor.

* * *

"Reg?"

"Hmm?"

"I didn't know you came to volunteer here. That's really sweet of you." Betty said. Betty was done with her community service and with a quick goodbye to Mrs. Watson, they decided to head over to Pop Tate's for a soda.

"Oh, no, I don't volunteer. It's just that when I was little, Mrs. Watson used to baby sit me. She was also my neighbor. She's kinda like my grandma, you know?" He said, with a sheepish smile.

Betty nodded. She still thought that was very sweet of Reggie to keep her company in her old age. It was weird. She never really took the time to get to know Reggie. And now that she finally did, she realized that there was so many things about him that she could never have even possibly guessed.

As they neared Pop's, Betty could see a huge crowd gathered there. "Wow. Profits are really up today for Pop's, huh?"

"Yeah," Reggie muttered absently. He opened the door letting Betty pass through first. He remembered Mrs. Watson's advice. "Hey, Bets, if you're not doing anything tomorrow, do you wanna -"

"Oh my gosh!" Betty gasped before quickly darting into the crowd.

Reggie looked at Betty's retreating form disappearing into the crowd before seeing what made her react. There lay veronica, and a very messy Cheryl covered in pink goo rolling on the floor. Cheryl was pulling onto Veronica's hair while Veronica bit into her arm. Cheryl screamed before letting go of Veronica's hair. They both scrambled to their feet and leapt towards each other for another round before Jughead grabbed Veronica and Archie held back Cheryl. The crowd around them started yelling 'Catfight!' and encouragement.

"Arch, I think you better take Cheryl out of here," Jughead said as he tightened his hold on the struggling Veronica. _Wow, she's stronger than she looks_, he thought.

Suddenly, Cheryl stopped struggling and Archie let her go. "You'll pay for this, Lodge. You'll pay for this big time!"

"You know what? All you do is talk. You can't do a thing to me. You or this new pet of yours," Veronica gestured towards Archie.

Archie had enough of the insults. He raised a hand to hit Veronica before it was stopped in mid-air. He saw a pale slender hand wrapped around his wrist and looked to find Betty.

"Don't you dare, Archie Andrews."

"Get your hands off me, Betty. I'm warning you." Betty let her hand go, prepared if he would try to strike her or Veronica again. He didn't. "Listen to me, Archie. Don't listen to Cheryl. Start a new life but please, not with her."

"Sorry, Betty. If you think I'll come back to you now, think again. Cheryl's perfect for me. And I'd watch my back if I were you," he said menacingly.

Betty let out an exasperated sigh. "Archie, _look_. Cheryl is just taking advantage of you. Can't you see what she's doing to you?"

Archie was about to retort something before Pop Tate made his way through the throng of people and pulled at his hair. "Look at what you kids did! Look at this mess! Archie, Cheryl, Ron and Jughead, I forbid you to come to here ever again."

"But... but, Pops! What did _I _do!" Jughead wailed.

"Sorry Jughead but if you can't follow the rules, you might as well not come here."

Reggie could almost see Jughead's eyes water and bit back a smile.

"Fine by me, old man. C'mon Archiekins. Let's blow this lame joint." Her nose sticking up in the air, she walked out of Pop's. Archie gave both Betty and Veronica a hard glare before following her out. Cheryl stopped at the door, giving Reggie a once over. "Trust me, Reggie," she said in a low voice so that Archie wouldn't hear. "You can do so much better than Betty. You have my number. Give me a call sometime." And with that she left. Archie looked at her and then at Reggie venomously before walking out.

"Okaaaaaay..." Reggie muttered aloud. He walked towards the girls and Jug. The crowd started disappearing quick, no doubt to go and tell their friends about the cat-fight between the two most desirable girls at Riverdale High.

"C'mon, Ronnie. My place isn't too far from here. Let's get you cleaned up." Veronica muttered something incoherently under her breath as Betty looked back towards Jug and Reggie, offering them an amused smile and a quick wave.

"You heading home too, man?"

"Yeah," Jughead began, almost tearfully. They headed out the door. "You think Pop's will break down and let me in here again?"


	10. Archie's Secret

"Eww! Betty, _help_!" Veronica shrieked. She had just showered in Betty's bathroom and was toweling off her hair before finding a hideously colored brown gum stuck in her tangled hair. Betty ran in, her arms loaded with towels. She saw the reason of Veronica's dismay and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Geez, Ron, you scared the living daylights out of me," she said. Tossing the towels onto her neat bed she went to her teary best friend for a closer look. "Here, let me take a look at it." She started picking at her friend's hair, trying to pull the strands of hair out of the gum. "It's not so bad. I remember once when I was little my hair got stuck with gum. It was so bad, they had to cut most of my hair off." Betty chuckled at the memory.

"Gee, thanks, Betty. Like that really helps," Veronica remarked dryly. While Betty busily worked away at her hair, she smirked absently.

Betty saw that. "I know that look."

"What look?" Veronica feigned innocence.

"That look. You shouldn't have done that. It wasn't very nice."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "You know Betty, you have to stop being so nice to everybody. Especially the ones who don't deserve your _niceness_." She said the word 'niceness' as if it were a disease. "People can take advantage of you easily."

Betty decided not to get into an argument with Veronica about the virtues of niceness and changed the subject. "So, what happened in there anyway?"

"Just a little something Cheryl had coming to her. I mean, she called _me_ a slut? Has she looked in the mirror lately? I don't think there's any guy she hasn't done yet."

"Well, Ron, you do go out with a lot of guys. I mean you've dated half the male population at school," Betty began carefully.

"I haven't slept with any of them," Veronica said matter-of-factly.

"I know that. But Cheryl doesn't. And judging by how things are going, you know this isn't the last you've seen of her."

Veronica scoffed. "Pshh. I say, bring it on."

Betty smiled at Veronica. That was one thing she liked about her. She was never a quitter. In such situations, Betty would just ignore Cheryl until she got tired. Reacting only provided fuel for Cheryl's rumors. But not Veronica. Nobody showed up Veronica Lodge. They were so different. Sometimes she wondered how they ended up becoming the best of friends. "So, you were there with Juggie?"

"Yeah. We were working on our Science project when Archie and Cheryl showed up." She let out a little yelp when Betty tried to yank the gum out of her hair a little too hard. "Betty! Careful, okay? I just had my hair trimmed two days ago!"

"Oops." Veronica stopped fidgeting. "You know what really sucks, Ron? The fact that we treated Cheryl as a friend when she moved to Riverdale High. I don't mind her being with Archie now but she could stop turning him against us."

"Yeah, it's like Archie's turned into some kind of puppet. He does whatever Cheryl tells him to!"

Betty couldn't resist. "Kind of like how he followed you around and did whatever you said?" Her head narrowly missed the pillow that Veronica flung at her.

"Touche," Veronica studied her nails. "But seeing how Archie follows her around like a dog on a leash... it's kinda degrading, isn't it? I wonder why Archie used to take that crap from me if he wanted Cheryl all along."

Betty shrugged her shoulders. She didn't have an answer for that.

"Well, whatever the reason, if that's how Archie's gonna act around us, I'm glad he's out of our lives." Veronica was silent as if pondering something. "But those were the times, weren't they, Betty? When we'd fight over Archie and he couldn't decide between us? We didn't have to deal with the stuff we're dealing with now."

"And I'm glad you two aren't dealing with Archie anymore," Mrs. Cooper said from the door. She walked in, her arms full of clean linen from the laundry. She sat at the edge of Betty's bed. For a woman in her late forties, Mrs. Cooper looked rather nice. She looked like an older version of Betty with her hair cut short and a shade lighter than Betty's. She had the same clear blue eyes inherited by Betty. "I always knew Archie was never the right person for either of you. I'm glad you went separate ways and I'm sure you'll find someone better than Archie."

"Thanks, Mrs. Cooper," Veronica said, sincerely touched by the older woman's concern.

Mrs. Cooper looked at Veronica's hair. "Betty, that gum won't come off at this rate. Try rubbing some ice on it first. That should make it easier to pull it out." She took the linens and walked out of the room.

Betty got up to get some ice from the kitchen. "Be right back with the ice. Need anything while I'm in the kitchen?"

"I dunno. Maybe some diet soda." Veronica mumbled. "Betty?"

"Yeah?" Betty asked, stopping at the door.

"What do you think Archie's thinking about right now?"

Betty laughed. "I'm sure not about us. And if Cheryl's anything like you, he's probably at her place trying to calm her down." She saw Veronica reach for her pillow again and darted out of there with a small shriek.

* * *

"_Whoa, Arch, your dad's got a gun!" Jug whispered, his eyes as wide as saucers._

_Archie couldn't find the words to speak. This was unbelievable. All these years and he never knew that all this time, his dad had hidden away a gun on the uppermost shelf of his walk-in closet. His parents weren't at home and he figured this would be the best time to look for his birthday present. He had asked jug to help. His twelfth birthday was almost a week later but how could anybody expect an eleven year old boy to wait patiently for his presents? Maybe just a little peak, he had told himself. They won't know._

_But this was just too cool. A real live gun! He knew his dad was a police officer before he was born. But now that he wasn't, why did he keep a gun hidden in his closet?_

"_Touch it, Archie!" Jug whispered urgently. He stood next to the stool Archie was standing on. _

_Archie nodded his head quickly and looked at the gun again. He licked his lips tentatively before reaching out a pale freckled hand to touch the gun. Suddenly he stopped. Should he? Was he even supposed to know about the gun? His dad would probably get mad at him for touching it. His parents could ground him! He won't be able to hang with his buddies, probably for a month! Or worse, he wouldn't be able to take the new girl Ronnie to the dance!_

But it's not like he'll ever know_, Archie thought to himself. He could just touch it, look at it for a while, and then put it back the way it was. His dad would never know._

"_What are you waiting for, Arch?" Jughead whined impatiently._

_Archie swallowed hard and slowly reached for the gun. His finger slid carefully along the smooth and shiny barrel. It felt cool. He picked up the gun and jumped down from the stool. They both sprinted back to his room._

"_Lemme touch, Archie, lemme touch it!" Jughead urged, his hands shaking with excitement. Archie handed the gun to him quickly. "Sweet," Jughead whispered._

"_Yeah," Archie said. It felt amazing. He never knew such a thing could make one feel so powerful. _

"_Hey, you wanna go scare Reggie with this? Betcha it'll make him pee in his pants!" Jughead whispered loudly, as if Archie's parents could hear them._

_Archie hesitated. It was very tempting. Reggie had made Archie slip on the cafeteria floor in front of everybody. His hair still smelled like spaghetti sauce. But he also knew his dad wouldn't want to catch his son holding a gun. If he ever found out, Archie could get in some major trouble._

"_Nah. I'll get grounded, Jug." Jughead was about to protest when Archie spoke up again. "I mean it, Jug! Dad'll go crazy and ground me for a week or something. And besides, you have to promise not to tell anybody. Or else I won't be your friend anymore."_

_Jughead sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes. "Okay, I promise. Still, this would've been so cool."_

"_I know, Jug."_

_Time sure flies_, Archie thought. He was sitting on the corner of his bed, the same gun in his hands. Jughead had stopped asking to see about the gun after two years and had probably forgotten about it too. But Archie hadn't. His dad wasn't a police officer anymore but probably still kept the gun for protection. He liked this gun. It was his friend. Whenever he was upset or mad, he'd sneak into his parents' closet and sneak back to his own room with the gun. Just touching the gun... its smoothness, the way it fit in his hand. It was amazing. He's spend hours just holding the gun, thinking dark thoughts. Like today.

Sighing, Archie let himself fall on the bed, the gun still in his hands. Cheryl, in a hissy fit, had told him to go home and that she wanted to be alone. And he had obliged like the perfect boyfriend he was. But there was something troubling him. What had she said to Reggie when they were leaving Pop's? His heart burned with jealousy. Was Reggie making a move on his new girl? He laughed silently. _Probably not getting it from Betty_, he thought with a smirk. He hated Reggie. Hated him with every fiber of his being. Sometimes he'd fantasize about Reggie... on the floor... with a bullet in his head.

_No. That's too easy. I want to make him suffer_. Archie got up from his bed and decided to put the gun back where it belonged before his parents came back home. He was almost at the door when he saw a bunch of photos on the carpet he had meant to throw out earlier. He bent down to pick them up, deciding to toss them in the garbage on his way out. He stopped when he saw a familiar picture. He picked it up and inspected it closely. Him, Veronica and Betty at Pop Tate's sipping the same soda with three straws. Betty.

Yes. Betty. Miss goody-two shoes. He'll teach her a lesson. He'll teach her good. And he'll be killing two birds with one stone as well. He'll get his ultimate revenge on Reggie. Smiling he decided to call Cheryl. As soon as the gun was in its right place.


	11. Sorry

"Yes, Archie. I look forward to it too." Cheryl sighed, studying her hot pink-colored nails. "Uh huh. Sure me too." She wrinkled her nose, her hand tightening on the phone. "Alright, I love you too." She smirked. "Bye, hon."

Cheryl snickered. Archie. So gullible. So... naive. Seriously. Cheryl chuckled to herself. She walked back towards the bathroom where she was blow-drying her long luxurious red locks and picked up the hair dryer. She was damn proud of her beautiful hair. It was a good thing she hadn't gotten any gum or hard-to-remove stuff in her crowning glory. She caught her reflection in the mirror and was immediately drawn to her sparkling green eyes. Those same eyes and hair that were the envy of every girl at Prembrooke and now Riverdale. She had inherited those emerald eyes and fiery locks from her late grandmother, Anne Blossom.

Cheryl had always looked up to her. To Cheryl, Anne was a true woman, a paragon of perfection. During her last years, Cheryl would often stay with her grandmother and would learn some of the most important things that all women, according to Anne, should know.

Cheryl walked out of her bathroom and sat on her bed. She picked up a framed picture from the side table. It was her grandmother when she was in her late thirties. Those same gem eyes and red hair. Cheryl was the only one in the family who had inherited those traits. Cheryl smiled fondly at the picture. While other grandmothers would bake cookies with their grandchildren, her grandmother would take her shopping for the latest fashions. While other grandmothers would read stories and recall funny past event with their grandkids, Cheryl's grandmother would sit with her and tell her about her past conquests, and the best way to snag any guy she wanted. While other grandmothers would shower their grandkids with toys and games, Anne would often send her granddaughter makeup, fashion magazines and clothes Cheryl's own Mom and Dad would not approve of.

_Well, Nana, _Cheryl thought, her hand moving lovingly over her grandmother's face. _I've followed in your footsteps... and I love it. _And she did. She was the envy of every girl at Riverdale and the fantasy of ever guy. Just like her grandmother was in her time. She had been a man-eater. And now, Cheryl was proud to be one too. She wished her grandmother was here to see her now.

Sighing with contentment, she placed the picture back on her desk and got up. It had been a long day and she was tired. Changing into her PJs, she climbed into bed. As much as she tried, she couldn't shake off her anger completely. But Veronica had gone too far this time. She had to teach that rich brat a lesson, somehow. And that moron Archie didn't do anything immediately either... _Ugh_. That Archie. She was starting to get really sick of him. He and his stupid plan of revenge on Betty. Personally, she didn't really have much against Betty, even if she was a goody-goody. But if it meant getting Reggie, then she was game. Boy, was she ever game!

Reggie._ Now there's a guy, _she smiled slyly. The pinnacle of manliness. Cheryl felt a shiver down her spine. She _must _have Reggie. Not being in his arms, not being able to kiss him was driving her crazy. She remembered when they used to date, before the summer. Cheryl and Reggie. Of course, Reggie wanted to go so much more further than just kissing. But Cheryl didn't let him. Not because she was coy or one of those want-to-be-a-virgin-till-marriage types. But because there was Archie. Him and Reggie hated each other. And when Cheryl was involved, she'd love it when they'd fight over her.

But now she wanted Archie out of her life. She hoped he'd be at least fun like he would be with the other girls or even like Reggie, if it wasn't too much to ask. But no. Of all people, Archie had to fall in love with Cheryl. She sighed disgustedly. Love. There's no such thing as love. Only lust. She turned over to her side. Only fools fall in love. And Cheryl Blossom was no fool.

_If I can somehow manage to get Reggie to kiss me, it'll all come back to him. He'll want nothing to do with Betty do-gooder and want to be with me. _She smiled. It was worth a shot.

* * *

"But why?" Veronica wailed. 

"You don't want to let poor Juggie think you took the opportunity to just get away from him and let him do all the work, do you?"

"Well, no but... in case you don't remember, my hair was covered in pudding and I was in no condition to talk to anybody."

"Right. But now you're not. So you could call him and make plans for the project."

Veronica sighed. There was no way she could avoid this. It wasn't as if she didn't want to do the project with Juggie anymore. In fact, before the whole Cheryl episode, she even started to like him. He was more tolerable than she'd have originally thought. She smiled, somewhat affectionately.

"Alright, I'll call him." She sauntered over to Betty's phone and punched in the numbers. Betty came up to her and stood next to her, a huge goofy grin on her face. Veronica gave her a skeptical look. She wasn't good with apologies.

"Yo."

"Juggie, hi, this is-"

"Can't pick up the phone right now. You know what to do," he casually said.

"He's not there." Veronica breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then leave a message!" Betty whispered, half annoyed.

There was a beep and suddenly Veronica didn't know what to say. it was one thing to talk to a person. But leaving a message when you weren't sure what mood they were in, how they'd take the message and how you should say it. That was something else.

Taking a deep breath, Veronica decided to just say it and get it over with. "Hey, Juggie, it's me. Veronica."

"Did he pick up?" Betty quipped.

"I- no, he's not," Veronica started. She placed a hand over the mouthpiece. "What should I do?"

"Leave him a message, dummy!"

"Alright, okay!" Veronica almost yelled in indignation. "Juggie," she began again, her voice hoarse. "Just wanted to..." She couldn't find her voice. Why was it so hard to say sorry? "I just wanted to... _apologize!_"She yelped out the last word as she felt her arm being pinched. She turned to look accusingly at Betty who only smirked. "I wanted to apologize about tonight. We didn't get our project done and I was wondering if we could maybe meet up tomorrow at the library." There. Done. At least that was out of the way. Betty nodded her head in approval. "See you then, Juggie. Bye." She added quickly and hung up.

"There you go," Betty beamed. She reached for the TV remote. "Now what that so hard?"

Veronica didn't answer. But she realized it had been hard. More than it would if she had been apologizing to someone else. And she didn't know why. She sat next to Betty and reached for the bowl of popcorn, all thoughts of Juggie vanishing as the theme song for _F.R.I.E.N.D.S_. started.

* * *

He let his cheeks puff full of air before letting it out in a loud whoosh. How the heck did this happen? 

He raked a hand through his already ruffled hair and let himself drop back in his bed. Staring at the stick-on glow-in-the dark stars on his ceiling, he let his thoughts wander to what had happened earlier in at Pop Tates. Veronica had left with Betty without so much as a single goodbye to him. "Wait a sec... this is Veronica Lodge we're talkin' about. Since when does_ she _care?" He paused. "And more importantly, why do _I_ care?" He let the question hang in the air for a while. The only answer that was obvious to him was...

"Argh!" he yelled before swinging his long lanky legs over the side of the bed and sitting up. After a pause he flexed his right arm. Not much meat there, he thought. He pushed himself up and walked over to the full length mirror he barely ever used. For a minute he just stood there wordlessly. Black pants and a purple T shirt. Slowly, tentatively, he pulled the shirt over his head, followed by his pants. Again, he stood there wordlessly. Slowly, he flexed both arms again and studied his physique. "Not bad," he mused. Not much muscle but at least not much visible fat either. _Thank you super-fast metabolism! _

Maybe if he worked out a little.. A few sit ups here and there, maybe lifting some weights...

But he knew that wasn't enough to make an impression on Ronnie.

_Ronnie_. He sighed. There was no turning around it. He was in love with her and that was all there was to it. He wasn't one for denials and was probably the most down-to-earth in the group. Or at least, what was left of the group anyway. For years he'd stay away from relationships and romances. He didn't want all the drama that came with it. He didn't need it. But he couldn't hide it any longer. Archie wasn't with Veronica anymore. He had to do something. But how? He didn't possess the boyish charm Archie did or the charisma that Reggie had. He wasn't filthy rich either, which automatically meant no flashy cars or clothes.

_But is Ronnie really into all that? _He asked himself. _Maybe I'm not giving her enough credit. Maybe she isn't shallow as she thinks. Maybe - _

The phone rang, breaking him from his thoughts. He wasn't in the mood to talk to anybody so he let the machine pick it up. After the beep, there was a moment of silence. Then she spoke. "Jug?" His head jerked towards the phone and he made a move to pick it up but stopped. He was in no condition to talk. He could barely speak after hearing her voice, so graceful, so majestic, so beautiful, all of a sudden.

"Hey, Juggie, it's me. Veronica." Jughead smiled. He'd known it was her even if she hadn't said her name. "I- no, he's not..." her voice dimmed and he heard another feminine voice in the distance. _Probably Betty_. "Alright, okay!" she said, sounding irritated. Her voice dramatically changed to her friendly yet unapproachable tone. "Just wanted to..." There was a pause. "I just wanted to... _apologize!" _Another pause. "I just wanted to apologize. We didn't get our project done and I was wondering if we could maybe meet up tomorrow at the library. Well," Veronica paused, sounding somehow unsure of herself. "See you then Juggie. Bye" He heard the phone click.

Jughead sighed. He reached for the phone. Yeah. He'd definitely be ready to see her tomorrow. Right after he gave Reggie a call...

* * *

_"Oh, Reggie..."_

_Reggie could hardly believe it. It finally happened. And he didn't even have to do or say anything!_

_They were at Pop Tates, and it was dark outside. There wasn't anybody inside Pop Tates and even Pops himself seemed to be missing. He and Betty were drinking Pops famous milkshakes when suddenly Betty looked him in the eye and kept staring at him. Feeling a little weird, Reggie returned the gaze as steadily as he could. "What?"_

_"Oh Reggiekins, I've been dying to tell you about how I feel..." she whispered, leaning closer on the table. Reggie felt himself being drawn to her too._

_"Yeah?" Reggie grinned, his heart pounding in his chest so loud, he thought the other patrons would hear it if they were here._

_"I was such a fool, Reggie," Betty got up from her seat and licked her lips, "to have ever liked a guy like Archie."_

_Speechless, he only nodded._

_"You're the only man for me, Reggie Mantle." Betty climbed on top of the marble top and slowly crawled towards Reggie._

_Despite how good this was going, he felt that maybe they were going a tad too fast. And he wanted to take things slowly with Betty. And this was so unlike her... did somebody spike her milkshake or something? he wondered._

_Reggie quickly got up from his seat in the booth and stepped out. "Betty, don't you think we're going too fast?" he said, half-nervous, and half wanting to kick himself for wanting it to stop.To Reggie's utter shock and delight, Betty jumped off the table, pushed him against the wall, and pinned him there._

_"Oh, are we? I thought you want me to go fast," Betty whispered seductively._

_Can't argue with that logic._

_Betty closed her heavy-lidded eyes and leaned forward. Reggie did the same thing, hoping his breath didn't smell like the tuna sandwich he just had._

_"Reggie...?"_

_Eyes still closed, Reggie smiled sleepily. "Yes Betty?"_

_"Where the hell are you?"_

_His eyes snapped open. "Wha..?"_

_Suddenly, it wasn't Betty's face he saw but Jughead's angry one. "Where the hell are you!"_

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" Reggie screamed. The theme song from Jaws played in his head._

"Ooof!" Reggie fell on the ground, his legs tangled up in the sheets.

"Reg! C'mon man, where are you?"

"Huh? Whazza..? Jug?" The world stopped spinning and became clearer. It was Jug. On the phone. He looked at the clock. Only 11:46.

Since it was hopeless to untangle the sheets from his legs immediately, he crawled over to his phone and picked it up. "Jug, what, the hell, man. I was having the most beautiful dream!"

"Well sorry to wake you up from your wet dream, but I gotta problem here. Can you help me out?"

Reggie rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with his hand. "I guess. What's the problem?"

There was a pause. "Well, I have this situation, right?"

"Yeah?"

"And well, this situation requires me to get a little muscular. You know what I mean?"

Reggie wasn't sure what he meant. "Why?"

He heard Jughead sigh on the other line. "Lets just say there's a girl I'd like to impress."

Reggie raised his brows. Jug? A girl?

"And before you ask me who it is, I'll tell you. If you decide to help me out."

Reggie was curious. This was a first. Jug crushing on somebody? "Jug, how about we talk about this tomorrow after school?"

"Thanks, Reg, you're a pal!" And with that Jug hung up.

Reggie smirked. Tomorrow was going to be pretty interesting.

* * *

A/N: Just a little something I drew for this chapter. Betty encouraging Veronica to call Juggie. I tried making them look as character-like as possible with my own little touch. Hope you like :) It's on my homepage, since it won't let me post a link here. 


	12. The Chat

**blueeyedblondie has signed in.**

**MantleTheGR8:**

sup pretty lady?

**blueeyedblondie:**

hey reg. we still on for tomorrow right?

**MantleTheGR8:**

you bet!

**blueeyedblondie:**

good...

**MantleTheGR8: **

hey guess what? you wont believe whatim about to tell ya.

**blueeyedblondie:**

what? oh hey ronnie's on. lets add her in.

**MantleTheGR8: **

noooooooo! $#$#$#!$!

**richNgorgeous has been added into the conversation.**

**blueeyedblondie:**

hey girl!

**richNgorgeous: **

hi betty darling.

**richNgorgeous: **

hello reggiekins

**MantleTheGR8: **

hey. sup?

**richNgorgeous:**

nothing. omg has anyone seen juggie lately? hes been acting so weird. whats with that?

**blueeyedblondie:**

yeah, i noticed it too. freaky.

**blueeyedblondie:**

reggie you wanted to say something to me earlier?

**MantleTheGR8:**

yeh. but not in front of ron.

**blueeyedblondie:**

uh oh

**richNgorgeous**:

OMG! rude much reggie!

**MantleTheGR8:**

sorry ron. but its kinda classified info you knoew. youll knoiw in due time.

**blueeyedblondie:**

lol

**richNgorgeous: **

shut up betty! and reggie i dont care what your stupid secret is i dnnt wanna know anyway!so there!

**richNgorgeous: **

see if i talk to you again!

**richNgorgeous: **

omg!

**richNgorgeous:**

what a jerk!

**richNgorgeous has left the conversation.**

**MantleTheGR8: **

rotflmao!

**blueeyedblondie:**

lol

**blueeyedblondie:**

shell get over it.

**MantleTheGR8:**

yeah

**blueeyedblondie:**

so what was the big secret?

**MantleTheGR8: **

lol, she put me on her ignore list.

**MantleTheGR8: **

oh, i just found out that jug's got a major crush on someone.

**blueeyedblondie:**

who? who! **:O**

**MantleTheGR8**:

youll never guess.

**MantleTheGR8:**

lets see, shes got black hair, violet eyes, is filthy rich...

**blueeyedblondie:**

**oO**

**blueeyedblondie:**

no way. youre pulling my leg.

**MantleTheGR8: **

no, really. i swear it!

**blueeyedblondie:**

wow. who woulda thought?

**MantleTheGR8: **

u can't tell ronnie yet, though. he wants to know if he even has a chance before he makes a move.

**blueeyedblondie:**

i wont tell. hey reggie, i better go. i have to finish up my english Lit. hw.

**blueeyedblondie:**

um, i was also kinda wondering...

**MantleTheGR8:**

yes...?

**blueeyedblondie:**

you wanna do that book report for ms grundys class together? after school tomorrow?

**MantleTheGR8: **

sure bets. i'd like that **:D**

**blueeyedblondie:**

great!

**blueeyedblondie:**

catch ya tomorrow reg.

**MantleTheGR8: **

yeah. bye babe.

**blueeyedblondiehas signed off.**

Reggie sighed. He signed off and turned off his computer. Jug had just left a few hours ago for their little work out. And he had confessed that he loved Veronica. Reggie had nearly droped the heavy weight on his own toes. He did another double take when Jug said he had been in love with her for years.

Normally, Reggie would have laughed. He'd have even made fun of Jughead, telling him he was way out of his league. But lately, he didn't want to do any of that. It was easy to annoy and tease Archie since he was pretty much a walking disaster. But Jug was as cool and suave as Archie was clumsy and awkward. Somehow, Reggie could relate to Jug's behavior. And even though they'd had plenty of arguments in the past, they had always stuck together. It was an awkward kind of friendship. But there was a freindship, nonetheless. And with Archie gone, maybe him and Jug could stregthen their friendship.

He looked at the digital clock next to bed. the green lights blinded 10:58. His parents were out of town. Maybe he could go watch TV downstairs for a while before hitting the hay. As he was about to leave, his eyes caught a photo of him and Betty on the wall. He smiled. He couldn't wait to meet her at the library.

* * *

**Wow. Okay. I am _so_ sorry, guys. To be honest, I had major writer's block. I know how I want to end the story. I just keep changing how I _get _to the ending. :) And on top of that, classes just started. It's one paper or exam or homework after another. But I'll try my best to update once a week, at the most.**

**PS- I know, this chapter kinda sucked. I tried to make the whole chatting thing a little easier to read. **


	13. First Kiss

"Cheryl!"

It took all of Cheryl's patience to not turn around and snap back at the cute, yet now very annoying redhead calling out her name. She had agreed to meet Scott behind the school gym in ten minutes. It had been too long since their last intimate moment. And with Archie around following her, she just couldn't get away! _Damn, that Archie, _she fumed silently as she put on the sweetest smile she could muster given the present circumstances.

"Oh, Archie, I was just looking for you!" she lied happily through her pearly white teeth.

"You were?" Archie asked, pleasantly surprised.

"Why, yes," she tossed her long red mane back, in the way she knew Archie loved. "In fact, I was just going to - "

"Cheryl, wait," Archie interrupted. Cheryl noticed he looked _very_ nervous. "I've got something for you." He reached into the back pocket of his pants and presented a small box covered in dark blue velvet.

Cheryl raised an eyebrow, a little confused. Suddenly, she realized what this was. Her heart raced, but not because she was excited about what was inside. She was dreading it. Big time.

"Well, open it," Archie gently coaxed when Cheryl didn't move to open it. Shaking out of her reverie, she gently opened the box to reveal a small, yet lovely gold ring with two small entwining hearts carved out of ruby on the top nestling against the satiny pillow. It was nice but nothing compared to what Scott would have bought for her.

"It's a promise ring. I know, it's not much. It's all I could afford." He stared at his feet.

Cheryl decided she could probably reward him or something later that night as a token of her supposed appreciation and leave it at that. But just then Veronica Lodge rounded the corner and saw them. Cheryl decided to make it her best performance ever.

As soon as Archie slipped the ring on, Cheryl let a few tears trail down her cheeks and hoped her eye liner didn't run with it. She pulled him into a crushing kiss after screaming a loud tear filled, "I love you, Archie!" making sure Veronica heard and saw everything.

When Archie broke apart, Cheryl noticed that he, too, seemed to have tears in his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. "I love you, Cheryl. You've given me everything I could ever possibly want."

Cheryl tried not to gag at the romantic mushiness. _Poor Archie. _She almost felt sorry for him. Almost. Throwing her arms around him and embracing him, she noticed Veronica at the corner of the hallway, rolling her eyes in disgust and walking away as quickly as her high heels allowed her. Cheryl smiled, her eyes narrowing as they always did when she was feeling evil and loving every minute of it.

* * *

He threaded his way smoothly through the throng that now crowded Riverdale High. Faces passed; some he recognized, and many he didn't. Most of the faces he did recognize were girls anyway, who happened to be batting their eye lashes at him, thinking they still had a chance with him. He smiled softly. There was a time when he'd have bragged and gloated about his latest "conquest." But he realized how wrong he had been. Now, there was only one girl that mattered.

He opened the glass double doors of the library, taking in the calm and quiet atmosphere. Occasionally, a few people would raise their voices or giggle, followed by the loud shushing of the librarian. But other than that, there didn't seem to be a lot of students at the library.

He slowly made his way to the back area which carried the English and History sections. He scanned through the rows of book shelves and finally found the object of his desire. Quickening his pace, he snuck up to the unsuspecting victim who was sifting through a book and quickly snaked his arms around her waist. She let out a little gasp of surprise. Craning her neck to the side, she heaved a sigh of relief.

"Reggie!" Betty whispered loudly.

"Hey, babe," He lowered his head and buried it in her hair. It smelled like jasmine and vanilla. It was starting to become his favorite.

"Reggie, stop! Someone will see us and, being the pervert that you are, they'll get the wrong idea."

Reggie chuckled. "So?"

"So let go, silly."

Reggie loosened his grip but let them stay on the bookshelf on either side of Betty, trapping her. Placing the book back on the shelf, she turned around with an amused smile on her face. "Come on, Reggie. Stop playing games." She placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed gently, but he didn't even budge. She looked at him again quizzically and her heart fluttered at his intense gaze. He had stopped smiling.

"Tell me something, Betty." She was drawn to his intense look. She just couldn't look away. "Does it really bother you if people get the wrong idea about us?" He gently touched the side of her face, cradling it as Betty seemed to go slightly limp due to his gaze and closeness. She could smell his cologne. Heck, she could almost smell his natural scent. And it was _gooooooood..._

He let his hand rest at her waist now. "Betty," he whispered before letting his lips press gently against hers.

He couldn't believe what he had just done. He hadn't meant for it to have gone this far. He just wanted to surprise her. But it had just happened. He felt Betty's hesitation, then felt her kissing him back. She fell back, leaning against the bookshelf, pulling Reggie closer. Encircling her arms around his neck, she intensified the kiss. Having all senses left, other than the present emotions required for the task at hand, he kissed more passionately, enjoying the feelings overwhelming him.

* * *

Archie sighed dreamily as he searched for the book Cheryl had asked him to get from the library before rushing off in a hurry. She said she needed to run an errand for her mom.

He was really happy. He had saved his money after working longer hours at his part-time job. He knew she'd love the ring, because he himself fell in love with it after seeing it for the first time. His heart swelled with love and pride at seeing the tears in her eyes. He could practically see themselves married, with little redheaded children running around the house.

Archie laughed silently to himself. He finally found the title of the book he was looking and pulled it out of the shelf. He was about to walk away before a small noise that sounded like a soft moan stopped him in his tracks. He peered through the space between the books on the bookshelf and felt his blood start to boil.

There stood Reggie and Betty, embraced and making out passionately, oblivious to the world around them. Reggie broke up the kiss and let his lips wander to her neck, eliciting a giggle from the now flushed and dazed Betty.

Gathering his books, he made his way over to the front desk. This was not right. Betty had never kissed _him_ like she was now kissing Reggie. Were they dating? She wasn't supposed to get over her and Archie's break up so fast!

As he stood in line with the books, Archie realized it was time his plan was put into action. He decided to call Cheryl on her cell phone to plan for tomorrow. But not before filing a complaint with the librarian...

* * *

"Reggie..." Betty whispered. She couldn't believe what was happening. Sure, the past few months she had been feeling an attraction toward Reggie. But it wasn't as intense as it had been just now. This was not how Betty was supposed to act._ I'm more mature than this! More level-headed, more responsible, more -_

Reggie kissed her again, a little more fiercely as if reading her mind.

_Oh, the heck with it._

After what seemed like minutes, Reggie pulled away. "Betty," he said breathlessly. "We should stop."

Betty tightened her arms around his neck. "Like hell we do."

Reggie laughed, a little impressed. "People will get the wrong idea about us."

Betty decided not to answer that. Instead, she kissed him again, and while Reggie was beginning to enjoy himself again, she bit into his lower lip. _Hard._

"_Ow!"_

"How was that for an answer?" Betty smirked.

A slow yet sneaky smile spread across his face. "Not bad. For a beginner."

"Oh yeah? I'll show _you _beginner..." her voice trailed off as she grabbed the front of his shirt and pushed him against the book shelf, pressing her lips forcefully against his.

"_Oh my word!"_

Both their eyes flew open. Betty turned her head quickly to see the head librarian, Mrs. Roberts, staring disapprovingly at Betty and Reggie, her hands at her hips, her stance menacing.

"Oh my gosh!" Betty shrieked and pushed Reggie away as if on reflex. She winced. She hadn't meant to push Reggie _that_ hard... he lay on top of the fallen book shelf, rubbing his head.

"I cannot believe what these eyes have just seen!" She looked at Reggie and pointed accusingly at Reggie, as if to blame him for corrupting Betty. "I expect this kind of behavior from you, Mr. Mantle. But Betty," she turned towards the embarrassed blond. "I expected much better from you." She shook her head, disappointed. She turned to Reggie again. "You! Clean up this instant! I want the books back on the shelf in order!" Reggie scrambled to his feet as quickly as he could, trying to gather all the fallen books.

"And _you_, young lady, you and I need to have a long talk in my office!" She took Betty's hand and led her away. Betty looked back to see Reggie smiling at her. He blew her a kiss exaggeratedly and made a sign as if to hold a phone, indicating he'd call her later. Betty grinned all the way to the office. Whatever punishment she'd get, it would be _so_ worth it.

* * *

**_Wow_. Where did _that_ come from? Seems Betty isn't as innocent as she seems, huh? ;)**

**Okay, cemicool, you saw right through my lame excuses. Lol. I guess I do happen to be a tad bit lazy... :o)**

**ying-chan, I would never abandon the story. Be a little lazy though, as cemicool said. I'm loving this story way too much :) Though by the end of the story, I have a feeling there may be a lot of people who would end up hating me...**


	14. I Love You

"Oh. My. God."

She couldn't believe it. She just couldn't. Sweet, innocent Betty? "I can't believe it."

Betty, remembering yesterday's events quite vividly, could only blush. "Ronnie, stop. You've been saying that again and again since I told you last night."

"Well, how can you expect me to just forget about this? I mean, Come _on_. Sweet Betty Cooper with Reggie Mantle?" Veronica shook her head excitedly. "Okay, yes, sure, I'll admit you two were going pretty goo-goo eyed for each other the past few months. But really. The _library_?" Veronica laughed. "Wow, I wish I was there to have seen that!"

Betty's blush grew a shade darker. Yet, she couldn't keep the sly smile off of her face. The news of Reggie and Betty's little rendezvous at the library had spread all over Riverdale High faster than wildfire. They were now, officially, one of Riverdale's oddest couple. Still, despite the oddness, there was this chemistry. Somehow, it seemed as if Betty and Reggie were made for each other. Like the old saying: opposites attract.

"You go, girl!" Ethel had called out and winked at Betty, as she passed them in the halls.

Some had been a little less discreet. "Hey, Bets! May I suggest the janitor's closet next time? It's more private that way," Chuck Clayton said.

"Chuck! Shut up!" His girlfriend Nancy had scolded him, and gave a friendly wave to Betty and Veronica. Betty blushed even harder. Veronica could only laugh after seeing that.

However, there were also some who weren't quite so pleased with this new-formed couple. Quite a few girls passed Betty, only glaring and sneering at her. _Probably some of Reggie's fan club_, Veronica thought dryly.

They stopped at Betty's locker, and Betty leaned against it, sighing. "Wow. This just happened so... suddenly."

Veronica rolled her eyes. "Not it didn't. It happened, probably a year ago. When Reggie came back from his summer vacation, didn't you notice anything different about him?"

"Well, yeah..."

"Other than the part that he looked hotter than usual," Veronica quipped nonchalantly, studying her nails.

"Ronnie!" Betty laughed.

"What? I'm just saying."

"He _did_ change. A lot." Betty paused, her eyes taking on a far away look. "But I don't know, Veronica. Maybe I'm rushing ahead. He's always been known to be a big womanizer. What if..." she trailed off.

Veronica gently laid her hand on her friend's shoulder, a concerned look on her face. "Betty, I know you're afraid of getting your heart broken again, especially after the whole Archie episode." Betty looked up. "But he's not the womanizer he used to be. Plus, he doesn't play as many pranks anymore. Then again, he did play one on Mr. Weatherbee a few days ago by setting the clock ahead an hour and letting school out early," Veronica chuckled. "Okay, so he doesn't play his old pranks _that_ much. At least he's not mean anymore." She stopped and looked at Betty, who had her eyes closed and was now sighing.

"Hmm?"

"You, okay?"

"Ronnie, I think I'm in love."

Her jaw dropped. This was too much information too soon. She did think Betty would eventually fall in love with Reggie, but they only kissed for the first time yesterday!

"Who's in love?"

The girls whirled around to see Jughead leaning against a locker, munching on an apple. Veronica pointed her thumb at Betty. "Betty, here, is in love with Reggie. With _Reggie!_"

"Oh. Cool."

"'Cool'? Is that all you can say? This is Reggie we're talking about."

Jughead tossed the apple core into the trash and turned back to the girls. "You make him sound like some kind of evil guy, Ronnie."

Veronica was about to say something when she noticed Reggie walk up to Betty from behind. She half expected him to put his arms around her and start smooching her right on the spot. To her surprise, he presented a deep red rose from behind his back andgave it to Betty, who was at first very startled to have seen a rose come out from nowhere. Veronica's heart just melted at the whole presentation. _Aww_.

Betty took the rose and slowly turned around a shy smile already on her face as if she knew who it was. And she was right. "Reggie," she said softly.

"Hey," Reggie said, just as softly. He smiled shyly.

Veronica looked at Jug and mouthed the words 'let's go'. Jughead frowned and mouthed back, 'but I wanna watch!' Like a mother glaring at her naughty child, Veronica grabbed his arm and hauled him to the class they shared.

"Ow! You think you can get your nails any longer and sharper than that?" Jug rubbed his arm when she let go.

"In case you didn't notice, Juggie, they needed to be alone." Veronica's glare turned into a soft, dreamy look. "They looked _so_ in love."

"Pfft."

"Shut up. What do you know how it feels to be in love anyway?" Veronica rolled her eyes and walked faster. Jughead watched her enter the classroom. After a moment of silence, he followed her in.

* * *

Better couldn't stop looking into his dreamy eyes. She knew she had been in love before. After all, Archie _had_ been her first true love, even though the feeling wasn't mutual. But this was something else. This was so much deeper. And as she continued to look into his eyes, she could feel Reggie was being honest. She had never seen him like this before. 

"I wanted to apologize about yesterday, Betty," he began, breaking Betty out of her reverie. "I should've stopped before it got that further... not that I minded. But I know I got you into trouble with the staff." He rolled his eyes. "And I caught some people teasing you too, so..."

"Reggie," Betty cut in softly. "You didn't do anything wrong. I really liked it. But the thing is, I don't really feel comfortable doing this with a guy if he isn't close to me." She paused and took a deep breath. Should she suggest they build a relationship? What if Reggie didn't want to? It would break her heart, true, but it would also mess up their close friendship. But she knew she had to ask. She didn't want to go through life wondering what would have happened if she_had_ asked him. She opened her mouth again to speak but the words died in her throat as Reggie lowered his head to kiss her. It wasn't filled with lust and he didn't kiss her in that urgent way that he had yesterday at the library. It was different. This was slow and gentle. Just as slowly, he pulled back, but still held Betty close in his arms.

"I love you, Betty."

There were no words that could describe Betty's surprise. Not that Betty was in the right state of mind to form any coherent words anyway. She had expected a sort of agreement about dating each other for a while and then building up. But this was just...

"I know, surprising, isn't it?" Reggie smiled affectionately. "I know you're in shock right now Bets." Betty was about to say something when he touched her lips gently with his fore finger to silence her. "But I don't want your answer now.. I want you to be absolutely sure that you feel the same way. I want you to think about it" He bent down to kiss her on the forehead. That made her heart melt. "About us."

The bell rang and Reggie took her hand and kissed the back of it before taking a few steps back andfinally releasing her hand. He turned around and sprinted to his class.

Betty stood there, mesmerized. She clasped the hand he kissed against her chest, her heart brimming with love. She couldn't wait to see him at lunch later and give him his answer.

* * *

Archie flashed his hall pass to the Hall Monitor and continued walking down the hall. He rounded the corner and a few feet away stopped at his destination: Reggie's locker. He paused, remembering the prank days. He remembered filling his locker with shaving cream once. Sure, that had gotten him detention for a week. But it was worth watching Reggie's horrified face. He snickered. But this... this would be the ultimate prank that would put all of Reggie's old dumb pranks to shame. Actually, it didn't deserve to be called a prank. This was big. He knew this would absolutely shatter Reggie. 

He looked both ways before extracting a piece of paper and stuffing it inside the locker through the slits. Then, with a sly smile, he rounded on his heels and headed back to class. Now, he just had to wait till lunch.

* * *

**Now comes the part where I yap for a while.**

I'm sure most of you have heard of **DeviantART**. I'm registered there as **duskywhiterose**. I recently made a little artwork of Betty, while she was going through her break up phase with Archie. Hope you guys like it :)

Well, I can't really tell who's going to die here. Or even if someone will die. Or... okay I'm gonna shut up now before I give away too much of the story :p

This story is taking more time. I'm not sure if it's 'cuz I've lost my writing mojo (I find my Hey Arnold story comparatively better than this one for some reason). But rest assured, I will finish this story, no matter what :) It'll hopefully be complete by the end of December. I think I may have onlythree or four chapters left.

**Alana Smithy**, I love stories that have online chats in them too. :p But only if they're well written and are closer to how actual chats are. They're a pain to write though x(

Hmmm. **Daine**, I want to either assure you that Archie would do no such thing or that it's okay and force you to believe that Archie can be that bad, depending on the ending but that would give the story away. :)

**blue bull dog**, I love her new naughty side too. The sweet lil' 'ole Betty was starting to get a tad bit old so I decided to vamp up her role a bit. But don't worry, **ying-chan**, I won't stray too much from her actual personality. I think one Veronica's more than enough :p

**cemicool**, thanks for your decision to stick with the story till the end. Makes me want to work on the story extra hard.

**Orange Noel**, I'm not sure I'm gonna go too deep with the Ron/Juggie pairing in this story. But I believe you just gave me an inspiration for another story. Thanks :)

And thank you **everybody** who has reviewed. Your reviews mean a lot to me. And it's good for my self esteem :D So keep 'em coming.


	15. And I Love You Too

Jughead fiddled with his pen, only half paying attention to Ms. Grundy's bee-drone. Veronica sat in the seat in front of him, staring at her book. This was definitely new. Usually, she'd be busy filing her nails or sending text messages from her cell phone to her friends. He wondered if she really was reading or just staring at the book and thinking about something else.

Reggie sat next to him on the left. He noticed Reggie was just as lost in thought as Veronica, if not more. He had that little smile playing at his lips during the whole class while staring out the door. Jughead figured it had something to do with Betty.

Sighing quietly, he turned his attention back to Veronica. And again, the same questions popped into his head, What did he see in her anyway? Yes, she was beautiful, stunning even. But Jughead wasn't one to fall for outward appearances. She had a lot of things not really going for her, such as her mean vicious persona that showed on occassion. But still, there were times when he'd catch a glimpse of sadness in her beautiful violet eyes. When she'd momentarily put aside her rich girl facade, that is. And it wasn't like she was truly evil or anything. The way she stood up for Betty against Archie was truly admirable. There was definitely something he saw in her that many people didn't. Or maybe I'm just imagining things, he thought.

He turned his attention back to the front of the class where Ms. Grundy was busy finding rhyming meters in a poem that was scribbled on the board. He wondered if Ms. Grundy would hear the crinkling of the wrapper of his candy bar that he was just dying to eat. Then again, he didn't want to risk getting another detention. He decided to wait till after class ended.

Stifling a yawn, he was startled to notice a piece of paper on his desk. He opened it slowly, making sure Ms. Grundy still had her back turned and read.

_When exactly do you plan on confessing to Ron?_

_- Reg._

Irritated, he scribbled on the note quickly.

_When I feel like it. Stop pushing me._

_- Jug._

He tossed the piece of paper back to Reggie, satisfied. No way was he going to let Reggie push him into this. Besides, he wasn't even sure if he really was crushing on Veronica or if this was just some kind of momentary phase. After all, he had stayed away from girls his whole life. Maybe he was just feeling lonely, is all. It would pass.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Reggie read the note and look at him. He smirked. Jughead started to feel uneasy. Reggie usually smirked like that when he was up to something. Jughead's heart skipped a beat when Reggie tossed the note toward Veronica's desk and gasped out loud when it actually landed on her desk and caught her attention.

"Noooooooo!" he screamed. In his state of anxiety and horror, he tripped over his own feet and crashed onto the floor. Instantly, Ms. Grundy turned around, her face a mixture of concern and annoyance.

"Mr. Jones, what _are_ you doing? Are you alright?"

Jughead realized the whole class had fallen silent and everybody was staring at him. Veronica looked at him, worried. Reggie just sat there, looking as if he was trying hard not to laugh.

"I... I just remembrered they were serving the 'eggplant surprise' today at lunch. Um... sorry."

Some of the kids started laughing. Veronica smiled amusedly and turned around again, unfolding the piece of paper. Reggie was outright gaffawing.

Ms. Grundy rolled her eyes. "I suggest you control your outburst in the future Jughead. Unless you'd like to spend some more time in detention."

"Yes, ma'am." He sat back in his seat. Ms. Grundy turned back to the board. He narrowed his eyes at Reggie who was now pretending to ignore Jughead. His heart thumped crazily as Veronica turned around to face Jughead, a questioning look on her face. He purposefully kept his eyes glued to his desk to avoid her gaze.

He counted the very seconds until class ended. And when it finally did, he quickly walked out of the class before either Veronica or Reggie got a chance to say anything.

Veronica shook her head as she watched his retreating form. "What's his deal?"

Reggie chuckled. "I don't know. But you'll have to ask him yourself. Right now, I gotta go meet Betty."

* * *

Everything was just perfect. Archie was out of the picture. And Betty was now his. He couldn't remember a day when he could have been this happy. It couldn't get any better than this.

He reached his locker and upon opening it, saw a piece of folded paper flutter to the ground. Slowly he picked it up, wondering who the note could be from.

_Reggie,_

_I'll be in the dark room to pick up some of Dilton's photos for the next issue of the paper. Meet me there._

_Love,_

_Betty._

Reggie cocked an eyebrow. This was interesting. All alone in the dark room with Betty... not that he intended to act ungentlemanly or anything. _Unless she wants me to, _he grinned. Closing his locker door shut, he quickly walked towards the dark room.

* * *

Betty tapped her foot on the marble floor, the sound of her taps echoing in the empty hallway. It was lunch and she had been waiting for the past ten minutes for Reggie to arrive._ I wonder what's keeping him, _she thought, glancing at her watch again. She heard footsteps quickly approaching, and looked up with a smile, expecting Reggie. Her heart plummeted when she saw Archie heading towards her instead. She noticed the really smug look on his face. While she was wondering whether she should walk away, Archie finally approached her. "What'cha doing, Betty?"

Betty refused to answer and continued looking the other way, wishing Reggie would hurry up already.

"Waiting for Reggie to show up, huh?"

She still didn't answer.

Archie chuckled. "I think you ought to see something." He took her hand.

Betty froze. The touch of Archie's hand on her made her blood turn to ice. She yanked her hand away. "I think you better go, Archie. Reggie will be here any minute and I don't want him to see you harassing me."

Archie laughed at this. "Do you even _know_ where Reggie is?" When Betty was quiet, he continued, "He's with Cheryl right now, as we speak." Betty's eyes widened at this. "If you don't believe me, you can go check in the dark room yourself."

Betty didn't know whether to believe him or not. Reggie had confessed his love to him only that morning. Surely he wouldn't be cheating on her... would he?

She sprinted towards the dark room.

* * *

"Betty?" Reggie called out as the door of the dark room closed behind him. The dark room was empty, since everybody was at lunch. But he didn't see any sign of Betty either. Suddenly he heard footsteps behind him and turned around to see a feminine silhouette in the darkness. "Betty?" he said softly. Something was striking him as odd about her. But he couldn't tell what.

When the silhouette didn't move into the light, Reggie decided to walk toward her himself. If Betty was playing some kind of game, well, he'll just play along.

Suddenly, she flung herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him hungrily. After a few moments of surprise, he kissed back, yet for some reason, something felt wrong. Betty was wearing a cherry-flavored lip gloss. But just earlier this morning and yesterday at the library, he tasted vanilla._ So she changed it you doofus, _he thought to himself. Still, he expected Betty to be a little shy. His hand found it's way to her back and he felt Betty's waist-length hair tangle gently in his fingers...

Wait a minute.

Betty's hair was shoulder-length.

_What the..._

Before he could break away, the door suddenly opened, washing Reggie in brilliant light. He heard a soft gasp. He quickly broke off and turned towards the door to find Betty, a tear traveling down her porcelain cheek, her hand clutching onto the door knob for support.

"Betty? What..." He looked back to find Cheryl's piercing green eyes staring back at him, a fiendish smile on her lips. He yelped out, pushing her away. "No..."

His turned back to Betty. "No, Betty, it's not what it looks like! I thought she was you! I swear!" Betty let out a sob and turned on her heels, running away from the dark room. "Betty!"

He froze when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He felt sick to his stomach. "Come on, Reggie," Cheryl drawled. "What's _she_ got that I don't?" Reggie was too sick and angry to speak. "Why so much anger? You were enjoying yourself a few seconds ago."

Reggie shrugged off her hand and turned around. "Because I thought you were Betty."

"Oh, come on. Forget her, Reggie. You and I belong together." She crossed the little distance between them and her arms snaked around his neck. "Let's go to my place after school. For old time's sake."

That was it. He grabbed her arms and roughly pushed her away again. Cheryl winced in pain and pressed a hand on her arm where Reggie had dug his nails in.

"What I had with you was in the past. Betty is my present and my future. And I am not going to let you ruin the single most wonderful thing in my life." He quickly turned to go after Betty before Cheryl's voice stopped him again.

"You'll come back to me. You know you can't resist me!" she screamed.

His back turned to her at the doorway, Reggie looked over his shoulder and smirked. "I already left you. And I don't intend on coming back to you. As far as I'm concerned, you and Archie deserve each other."

He ducked when Cheryl threw something at him in a fit of rage, screaming obscenities. It looked like one of Dilton's camera. Poor guy.

His heart raced as he ran down the hall. Where could she be? He had to make her understand. He was totally innocent, he didn't know it was Cheryl! He turned the corner, hoping Betty was at her locker at the end of the hall. There she was. Reggie felt a lump in his throat as he saw her face, tears streaming down her face, her body shaking in silent sobs as Veronica held her in a hug and rubbed her back. Jughead was there too, just standing there and looking helpless. "Betty!" he yelled out.

All three looked at him. Jughead frowned upon seeing Reggie, while Veronica just looked murderous. He gulped. _It's ok, Reg, once you explain everything, it'll all get better. _Reggie however didn't get the chance to explain as Betty started running away in the other direction. "No, Betty wait, please let me explain!"

"Leave her alone, you jerk! Oh my God, I can't believe you!" Veronica stood in front of him, screaming like a banshee. "You broke her heart! I was starting to think you were different! I..."

"Sorry, Ron, can't talk." He ran after Betty.

"The nerve! You come back here this instant, Reggie Mantle! I demand an explanation! What..." she stopped and turned around when jughead placed a hand on her shoulder. His expression was calm, and Veronica wondered how he could be so calm when Betty, on of his own friends, had had her heart broken once more.

"Let them go, Ronnie." He said, as he caught a flash of bright red at the other end of the hallway, where Reggie had come running from before dispappearing. His eyes narrowed, his suspicions confirmed. "Come with me," he said, taking her hand and walking quickly to the end of the hallway.

"What? Where are you taking me? Can't you see Betty needs -"

"Shut up," he hissed under his breath, his teeth clenched. He may have started having a thing for Ronnie but that didn't mean she didn't get on his nerves anymore.

Veronica did as she was told and let Jug lead her to wherever he wanted to go, quite curious now. Before stopping at the end of the hallway, Juggie lifted a finger to his lips, telling her not to make a sound. At the edge of the hallway, both Veronica and Jughead peered over the wall to find Archie and Cheryl in each others' arms, laughing.

"That should teach her," Archie said, a cold look in his eyes. "Now she'll think twice before going steady with any guy."

Cheryl's laughter died down as she thought of Betty, crying helplessly and smiled coldly. _Maybe they did break up. And now, maybe Reggie will finally be mine_, she thought. Of course, she wasn't that certain anymore. She sighed. She looked at Archie. She still didn't understand his immense hatred for Betty.

"I didn't like it when you kissed Reggie though," Archie continued, reaching for her again.

"Aww, you know I love you Archiekins. Nobody could ever take your place," she lied through her teeth. She kissed him passionately, visualizing Scott instead of Reggie. She sighed to herself. Now that Reggie couldn't be hers, she should start thinking of a way to get rid of Archie soon.

Slowly, Archie broke the kiss, looking a little regretful. I better get going. I have a lot of homework I need to catch up on. But I'll see you tonight, right?" When Cheryl nodded, he smiled. "Great. See you tonight then. And I love you"

"I know," she said, smiling sweetly. Archie walked off, whistling.

Jughead looked like he was about to hurl. And Veronica just stayed there, her jaw dropped open. "Who could be that cruel? What's happened to Archie?" she whispered.

Jughead just shook his head silently. Reggie was innocent. He had to admit, given Reggie's past reputation, he wasn't sure whether to believe him or not. Sure, after Archie's public breakup like that with Betty and then Veronica, there was bound to be some animosity. But he didn't think Archie would actually end up hating Betty so much to the point of wanting to hurt her. What's gotten into him?

"I hope Betty and Reggie make up. If not, well, we'll convince them of what happened," Veronica said.

Jughead didn't reply, as something else had seemed to catch his attention. Cheryl was at her locker, reapplying her lipstick, when Scott, the track star, walked up behind her and enveloped her in a big hug. Cheryl giggled and turned around to kiss him. Jughead's eye brow raised in surprise. _Hello, what's this?_

"Took that moron long enough to leave!" he exclamed huskily, burying his face in her flaming red hair.

Cheryl giggled, gently pushing him away. "What do you say we head over to my place? My parents are out of town till tomorrow," she reached out to straighten the lapel of his jacket before continuing, "and we have the whole place to ourselves, if you know what I mean." she smiled evilly. "At least till tonight anyway," she added quickly as an afterthought.

"I'm game," Scott said before offering his arm. Cheryl quickly slammed the door shut before sliding her arms in his. Jughead and Veronica watched them before they disappeared behind the front double doors of the school.

"Okay. That girl is just pure evil. I dunno if I should but I'm actually feeling bad for Archie now."

Jughead looked back towards Veronica, his expression worried. "I gotta go tell, Arch."

"What...?"

"I have to go tell him, Ron. He needs to know Cheryl is cheating on him."

Veronica shook her head quickly and reached out to grab his arm. "No, Juggie. Archie deserves it for what he did to Betty. Just leave him alone."

Jughead took Veronica's hand off his arm and held it in front of him, between both hands. "Think about it Veronica. Maybe Archie became so violent because of Cheryl. Maybe if they finally break up, Archie will realize what he did and we can all be friends again." He sighed, finally releasing her hand, and his gaze travelled to the floor. "This may sound bad to you, Ron, but there was a time when Archie was my best friend. I owe it to him to tell him when he's being hurt and used."

Veronica was quiet. It almost seemed as if Jughead was waiting for her approval of the action he was about to take. She smiled sadly. "You're one of a kind, Juggie. One of a kind."

Jughead flashed her a grateful smile for her understanding, turned around and sprinted out the same double doors where Archie and then Cheryl and Scott had disappeared through a few minutes ago. Veronica stood there, her arms wrapped around her body. She felt cold, even though there wasn't a draft. She experienced a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "I hope you know what you're doing Juggie," she whispered before heading off to find Betty and Reggie.

* * *

"Leave me alone!" Betty screamed as she ran as fast as she could away from Reggie, who had been chasing her for the past ten minutes.

"Betty!" he yelled. "_Please, _just listen to me! I was set up!" He was so close, maybe if he reached out, he could grab Betty and stop her, and make her listen to him. Almost...

Betty slammed the door open to the girl's bathroom and disappeared inside before Reggie could catch her.

Reggie cursed under his breath. He banged on the door loudly. "Betty!" He called through the door. "Just hear me out, will ya!"

"Go to hell!"

Okay. That did it. Looking both ways to see if anybody was watching, he quickly opened the door and went inside. Betty was leaning over the sink, her hands on the counter, propping her up and keeping her from falling in a moment of weakness. Tears were now silently flowing her face. "Please, just go away, Reggie," she whispered in a defeated voice.

Reggie could feel his heart breaking in two, at the sight of the love of his life looking so broken, so fed up... so sad. He wanted to hold her in his arms, explain everything, make everything alright. Wordlessly, he reached into his pocket and produced a crumpled piece of paper, the one that told him that Betty was expecting him in the darkroom. He held it out to her.

Betty wiped a stray tear away with the back of her hand, but didn't move to take it from him. "What's this?"

"Just read it," he said quietly.

After a moment of hesitation, she reached for the piece of paper and quickly read and felt tears blurring her vision. "This is Archie's handwriting," she stated. She should know. He was the only one she knew who wrote in cursive slanted to the left. She looked up to see Reggie, his face solemn and calm, but she could see the tears in his eyes too.

"I found it in my locker and thought it was from you. There was no light in the dark room and I... I thought you were Cheryl." He paused and took a deep breath, his voice slightly cracking when he whispered, "I'm sorry."

The paper fluttered gently from her hand and she leapt into his arms, crying softly in his chest. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you Reggie," she said when she finally pulled back.

Reggie gently pushed a lock of hair out of her face. "I don't blame you, babe," he said affectionately. "You've been through a rough breakup. It's not easy trusting someone so easily after something like that." Betty smiled tearfully, as Reggie caressed her cheek and looked lovingly into her eyes. "I'm not Archie, Bets. I would never leave you. I love you."

And it was then that Betty knew that he was the one. She was about to tell him how much she loved him too when he stopped her by placing his finger against her lip. "You don't have to say it, babe. I know you love me too. I can see it in your eyes."

This was too much. He even knew what she was thinking, what was on her mind! Her heart overflowing with love, she reached up standing on her tip toes to kiss him. At that second, the bathroom door flew open followed by a loud screech.

"Oh my word! Mr. Mantle!" this time it was Reggie who pushed away Betty in fright. It was Mrs. Roberts, the librarian. Again. Oh no...

"Young man, what is the meaning of this!" she demanded, her hands on her hips, her stance authoratative.

"I.. no, wait, this isn't what it looks like!" He quickly turned around and looked at Betty for help. He wasn't sure he liked the devilish smile that crossed her face. He was in trouble. He could feel it.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Roberts. I guess Reggie got carried away. I did tell him we should wait till after school but..." she blushed. Reggie's eyes widened in surprise. _Oh, she's good._

"It's alright, my dear, obviously this gentleman needs to learn to control his urges," Mrs said in a motherly tone. She turned back to Reggie. "As for you, I believe you and I need a long talk to straighten out your hormone fluctuations. Follow me." She turned around and held the door open for Reggie.

"You won't get away with it, missy." He whispered. "I can't believe you can act like that."

Betty's smile widened. "I learned it from the best."

* * *

**It does suck that they removed the Archie category. I wonder why. But I did take the liberty of creating a new community on FanFiction called 'The Archie Comics Community'. I guess it'll take a while to actually show up. Anyway, since there isn't any place to put our Archie stories anywhere but in the Miscellaneous area, we could just put all the Archie stories in this community. :) So move your category from Archie Comics to Miscellaneous and I'll do the rest :D All are welcome.**

**Thank you so much for checking out my Betty picture on DeviantART :) Your praises and reviews mean a lot to me. :)**

**Just two more chapters to go. And I promise, they'll be done way before Christmas. Enjoy :)**


	16. Together Forever

**Alright. For those of you guys who aren't able to handle tragedy, my advice is not to read the following. Since this story is rated 'T', I tried not to make it as graphic or scary but references are there. Remember. You have been warned.**

**

* * *

**Jughead ran as fast as he could. Archie had to be at home by now. Just two more blocks. He wished his own ratty old car wasn't at the mechanics._ Would he believe me if I tell him about Cheryl? And even if he does come with me, will he actually catch Cheryl in the act? _Jughead hoped so. Cheryl was bad news. He had always known that. Jughead ran as fast as he could. Archie had to be at home by now. Just two more blocks. He wished his own ratty old car wasn't at the mechanics.Jughead hoped so. Cheryl was bad news. He had always known that. 

Running up the stoop, Jughead rang the doorbell continuously. After what seemed like several minutes, the door opened and Archie stood at the doorway, a mixture of suspicion and surprise on his face. "What do you want?"

Jughead took a few seconds to stop panting with exhaustion. During those moments while he was regaining his breath, he wondered if he should ease into it or just blurt it out. Archie's impatient expression made him choose the latter. "Arch, I think you better come with me."

"Where?"

Was he doing the right thing? Yes, Jughead thought. Archie must know. "To Cheryl's place."

Archie raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"Arch, there's something you need to know. Cheryl is... she's cheating on you."

For a few seconds, Archie was quiet. Slowly, a smirk spread across his face. "So you found out about our prank, huh?" He chuckled bitterly. "Funny how you're trying to pull the same prank on me."

Jughead felt slightly panicked. _He's not going to listen to me. _"Arch, listen to me. Right now as we speak, Cheryl is with Scott right now at her house... you know, doing stuff." He couldn't bring himself to say that they were screwing around behind Archie's back. It pained him to bring Archie any more pain than he had to, even if they weren't friends anymore.

There were a few more minutes of silence while Archie stared at Jughead, his arms crossed across his chest. Sighing impatiently, Archie said, "You know, Jug, this prank stuff is more Reggie's department. I didn't expect you to do the same."

Jughead could feel his anger rising. He clenched his fists so hard, his nails dug into the flesh of his palms. "I'm not trying to fool you. Just come with me."

"And what if I don't?"

Jughead didn't know what to say to that. He couldn't threat Archie. He had never been the violent type. "Please, Archie. I'll never ask for anything in my life again. You have to believe me," he pleaded.

"Why _should_ I believe you?" Archie asked incredulously.

"For the sake of our past friendship, Arch. Do it for that."

Both men were silent. Finally, Archie spoke again. "Alright. Let's go."

The ride to Cheryl's place was a silent one. Jughead's heart ached. The silence between them wasn't of an uneasy or awkward nature. Rather, it was the silence of two men who had a lifetime of friendship between them, the kind that spoke volumes even though nothing was verbally said. As Archie turned right, Jughead looked at him from the corner of his eye. Perhaps Archie had a little more faith in him than he thought earlier. Maybe after all this, he and Archie could be best buddies again.

Jughead's train of thought broke as Archie jerked the car to a stop in front of Cheryl's driveway. Jughead could feel his heartbeat quicken. Please let them be here, he prayed fervently. He looked at Archie and Archie looked back at him. "Cheryl loves me," he said. "I'll prove you wrong."

Jughead didn't say anything. He decided to let Archie find out for himself just how much Cheryl really loved him. The two guys walked to the back of the house, where Jughead thought Cheryl's room was. Obviously, Archie knew since he seemed to look like he knew where he was going. Jughead suddenly heard what seemed like a girlish giggle and stopped. He saw Archie stiffen in front of him too. _Poor Arch._

He gave Archie a gentle push from behind and Archie craned his neck to look at him uncertainly. At Jughead's nod, he slowly walked over to her window and cautiously peered inside. Jughead did the same thing. And quickly looked away in disgust.

"Oh, _Scott_!" Obviously, Scott must have done something to produce such a giggle from her. Jughead didn't want to think what. He looked back at Archie who was now staring at the spectacle in front of him. A lone tear trailed down his cheek.

"Arch," he whispered.

"I can't _wait _to dump him, Scott. I missed you soooo much."

"Arch, let's go," he almost pleaded. He didn't want to be here any longer than he had to be. When Archie didn't move, Jughead felt a shiver down his spine. Archie was in mild shock.

"Oh no..." he whispered, panicked. He took Archie's hand and dragged him back to the front of the house and back in the car. He decided to do the driving, since Archie wasn't in the right state of mind to do so. He wondered for the second time if he did the right thing.

They finally reached the house and Jughead took hold of Archie's arm and guided him to his bedroom. He sat Archie down on his bed and sat next to him, not sure whether to console him or leave. Finally, Archie bent over and hid his face in his hands... and cried.

There had been only one time when Jughead had ever seen Archie cry. Back when they were eight. Archie and Reggie had ganged up and made fun of Moose, not realizing the bigger kid's strength could double their own put together. Reggie had gotten away, of course. Archie, however, had to nurse a purplish-blue bruise on his left eye for a while. He remembered how Archie had cried back then, in this very same room, alone with Jughead. He trusted Jughead not to make fun of him or call him a lesser man for crying. And it was the same thing now.

Archie's shoulders shook uncontrollably. Tentatively, Jughead put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Jug," Archie sobbed.

Jughead didn't know what to say. "It's okay, man."

"I... I need to be alone right now. I'm sorry, Jug."

"I know, buddy. It's okay." He stood up and gently pat him on the back. "We'll talk about this later, alright?"

"Yeah," Archie said, not looking up.

Jughead stood there for a minute wondering if he really should leave Archie alone like this. _He needs time_, he thought and walked out of the house. He stopped outside the door, briefly wondering if he should head to school. Lunch was long over and the school was about to end anyway. Then again, they were seniors now, and since most of their classes had completed the curriculum, they were pretty much free during class. No point in going there. He decided to give Veronica a call and tell her and the gang to meet up with him later at Pop's.

* * *

Archie lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling. How long had it been since he'd been that way? He didn't know. It was dark in his room, indicating nightfall. His mom had come in twice asking him if he was sick. He had told her in an uncomfortably calm voice that everything was fine. _Everything will be fine_. Especially now that he knew what to do. 

He loved Cheryl. He could never break up with her. Yet it pained him to see her with someone else.

He reached into his pocket again, feeling the folded piece of paper for the tenth time. He read it and then re-read it again. It had everything the others needed to know. His apologies. He didn't have the courage to apologize to them again. He didn't have to courage to even _face_ them again. Especially Betty.

Tears slid down from the corner of his eyes as he thought of Betty. He had been so cruel to her. So very cruel. She deserved better. She deserved someone who could love her and take care of her forever. She deserved Reggie. And Archie? He deserved nobody. He had been jealous of Reggie. Betty was no longer running after him, chasing him. He missed that. He missed Betty. He missed her constant caring and love. Her undivided attention. He loved her. But she wasn't his anymore.

And he won't ask her back. He won't be the cause of any more of her pain. At least he still had Cheryl.

Even if she didn't love him.

He sat up as tears threatened his eyes once more. He reached underneath his pillow, feeling the cool, hard metal. He could always count on it to give him comfort. And soon it'll give him eternal comfort.

He lifted his T-shirt and inserted the object of his comfort into the waistband of his old jeans. He placed the note on his table and placed a tiny yet surprisingly heavy paperweight globe on top of it. He watched as the little snow flurries became restless with the sudden movement. He remembered how much he loved shaking the little paperweight when he was younger. He walked out of his room and closed the door behind him. Downstairs, his mom and dad were at the table, pushing around the food on their plate, listlessly. Archie realized they had been worried about his strange behavior all day. He felt guilty. He didn't want to cause them any more trouble, ever again.

Wordlessly, he hugged his father and kissed his mother on the cheek, before walking away.

"Archie?" His mother called out to him uncertainly.

Archie sighed shakily. He had to be brave. "I'm alright, mom. I'm meeting the gang at Pop's. Be back home soon." And with that, he was gone. Little did Fred and Mary Andrews realize this could be the last time their son would ever show them any display of affection.

* * *

Betty sat next to Reggie, sipping her vanilla milkshake thoughtfully. They had been fairly quiet since learning about Cheryl's deed. "Poor Archie," she said out loud. Reggie didn't say anything but from the expression in his face, Jughead could tell he was feeling pretty sorry for Archie too. 

Veronica sighed. "I guess we better get going. I told Daddy I'd be back before midnight." She looked at her watch. "And it's 11:40 already."

The others murmured their agreement. Nobody was in an exactly cheery mood since learning about Cheryl's fooling around with Scott. "It's on me, guys," Reggie said, referring to the tab. Just then, a phone rang and Jughead whipped out a cellphone from his jeans pocket.

Veronica laughed. "Since when did you carry a phone, Juggie?"

"What? It's got games in it too. You gotta pass time in Ms. Grundy's class somehow," Jughead replied with a smile. He checked the caller ID which blinked "Archie". He looked at the others. "It's Arch," he said quietly. Everybody sat back down.

"Hello? Mrs. Andrews?" Jughead asked, confused. Why would Archie's mom be calling him? The others looked on curiously. "No, actually, Archie's not with us... he did? But I haven't seen him since this afternoon..." his voice trailed off, concern etched on his face. "Don't worry, Mrs. A, we'll find him. Yes. Bye."

Reggie looked at him, worried. "What's up?"

"It was his mom. He said Archie's been gone since 7:30 and hadn't been back yet." It was the sinking feeling again. "I wonder where he is..."

"I hope he's okay. We better go find him," Betty said quickly, rising again.

"But where should we look?" Veronica asked.

Jughead, who had been staring at the desk, looked up and said quietly, "I think I might know where."

* * *

Archie hadn't taken the car but decided to walk instead. The warm breeze whipped around his body, through his thick hair. The leaves rustled around with the wind, calming him more. He walked up her driveway and to the front door, not bothering to knock. As he suspected, the door wasn't locked. He walked in and closed the door behind him, locking it. He climbed up the stairs one at a time. He knew Cheryl's room was to the left. He had been in this house so many times, he could navigate with his eyes closed. He opened the door. 

There she was. So beautiful. She was lying in bed on her stomach, wearing a white fluffy robe, her flaming red hair a splash of color on the white outfit and sheets. She was engrossed in one of her Cosmopolitan magazines. Her hair had always mesmerized him, as had her emerald green eyes. And tonight was no exception.

So what if Cheryl had cheated on him? It didn't matter anymore. After tonight, nobody could take her away from him. Archie and Cheryl would remain together forever.

She finally saw him standing at the door admiring her. "Archie!" she exclaimed. "I didn't see you there."

Archie walked in, and sat on her bed and wordlessly began to kiss her.

"Woah there, hold on," Cheryl laughed, a little surprised. "I see we want to get straight to business, huh?" Archie didn't reply. "Alright, let me go freshen up first. I'll be right back." She got up and disappeared into her bathroom.

Archie lifted his shirt and pulled it over his head. He took the gun from under his waistband and held it delicately in his hands. After tonight, no one would take Cheryl away from him. He slid the gun under the pillow, just as Cheryl emerged, smiling like the cat-that-ate-the-canary. She slipped under the covers next to Archie and reached for him.

* * *

"Jug what the hell are we doing in Archie's dad's closet!" Reggie asked for what seemed like the umpteenth time. He still didn't get his answer. Jughead was on one of the stools, sliding his hand back and forth on the top shelf. He had expected Archie to be hidden in his dad's closet. He knew it was Archie's comfort zone. He would often go there to calm his mind. But Archie wasn't there and he felt a wave of dread washing over him. He remembered Archie's dad kept a gun in his closet. _Please be here, please be here..._

"Juggie, what are you looking for?" Veronica asked, exasperated. Jughead didn't answer and continued looking.

"Jughead?" Mr. Andrews said, walking in with his wife. "Is there something you're looking for?"

"Mr. Andrews! The gun? Where is it?"

"The gun?" Mr. and Mrs. Andrews exchanged surprised glances. "But how did you know about the gun?"

"Please, there's no time. I'll explain later. Where is it?"

"It should be right there, where you're searching."

Jughead felt like he was about to throw up. "It's not."

"What...?" Mary looked confused.

Veronica looked at Jughead, fear in her eyes. "Juggie...?"

Jughead's heart raced like a thoroughbred's. There wasn't time. "Cheryl. We gotta get to Cheryl's place. _Now!_"

The gang raced to Cheryl's home, each praying to God they weren't too late.

* * *

"Archie... that was wonderful," Cheryl sighed as she cuddled up next to Archie. And she meant it. Never had Archie seemed so in tune with her needs. Maybe she could keep Archie around a little while longer. 

Archie looked into her eyes. He wanted to be with her together. And now it was time for them to be together. "Cheryl. Please tell me you love me."

Cheryl smiled. "I love you Archie Andrews."

Archie's vision was blurred with tears as he reached underneath her pillow. "Promise me we'll be together forever." He pulled the gun out and moved his hand to his side again.

"I promise." And with that she kissed him again. Their last mortal kiss. Archie's ears rang with the shot. But never once did he blink due to the force of it. He had shot her. In the heart. The organ that was responsible for all the pain, anguish and love.

He hated the few moments of pain he was now putting Cheryl through. Her beautiful emerald green eyes registered pain and fear. She looked into his eyes mouthing the words, "A...Ar...chie..."

_"I love you too, Cheryl. And I always will." _He held her until the sparkle left Cheryl's eyes. Her body went limp and her eyes stared lifelessly until Archie gently closed them himself with his hand. He kissed her tenderly on her forehead and laid her on her back. He pulled the sheets up to her shoulders.

"I'm coming, Cheryl," he said quietly before lifting the gun to his temple. He shed the last tears he ever would shed in this lifetime. He remembered everybody. Jughead. Betty. Reggie. Veronica. His family. _I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you. _He closed his eyes, He pushed the trigger. He felt immense pain for a split second. And then everything went dark. His body fell on top of Cheryl's lifelessly, his blood the same color as Cheryl's flaming red hair. They were now together. _Forever.

* * *

_

By the time they reached Cheryl's house, a crowd had already gathered, along with half a dozen police cars and an ambulance. With his heart in his throat, Jughead ran inside the door. A police officer grabbed him, stopping him.

"Officer, what's wrong, what happened!" Reggie, Betty and Veronica were behind him a second later, dreading the worst.

The police officer sighed and shook his head wearily. He gestured tiredly towards the upstairs bedroom and sighed again. "Looks like a murder and suicide case, kids. You know who lives here?"

"Yes! Cheryl Blossom, does," Betty quipped. "Is she alright?"

The officer sighed the third time. "I'm afraid not. She was shot in the chest, bullet went straight through her heart. But at least it's better off than the other fellow she was with."

_Other fellow_. The words echoed in Jughead's head. "What other fellow..?"

"Haven't identified him yet. Neighbors said he came around the house often. A boyfriend, probably. Really hard to tell, since his head's been blown to bits. But we could make out a little bit of red hair, and perhaps freckles too, though we're not sure."

"Please sir, may we look at them? Perhaps we can identify who it is!" Veronica asked, though everybody in their hearts knew who it really was.

The officer looked at them uncertainly, not sure if he should allow these kids to see the gruesome sight. But if it would help things move along then perhaps he should. "Alright."

They walked up the stairs Jughead following the officer quietly. Behind them were Betty and Veronica, already crying, and clutching on to each other for support. Reggie was behind the girls, an arm around each's shoulder. Whether it was to support himself or the girls, he didn't know. The officer stepped aside, letting them see the unholy sight before them.

"Oh... God..." Reggie whispered.

Betty quickly looked away and buried her head in Reggie's chest and cried. Veronica stood rooted to the spot, her hands on her mouth, her sobs shaking her body violently. Jughead felt the floor move under him and fell to his knees. _No... this can't be happening._ He started breathing hard._ I killed him. I told him about Cheryl and became the reason if their death... _He was now hyperventilating.

"Jug?" Reggie called out, his voice laced with fright. To Jughead it sounded miles away.

The police officer bent down to eye level next to Jughead and asked urgently, "Are you okay, son?"

"Juggie?" Veronica said, her voice shrill.

"Oh my God, he's going into shock!" Betty screamed. She rushed over next to Jughead and she, together with the police officer, laid him on his back.

"Elevate his feet!" The officer yelled. "We need to keep him warm!"

The room was in chaos, Reggie quickly took off his jacket and laid it on Jughead to keep him warm. One of the officers quickly ushered in the medical team carrying stretchers from the ambulance that was outside. Veronica who was wringing her hands quietly and crying, offered to ride in the ambulance with Juggie. With one last look at Archie and Cheryl, Betty and Reggie headed for Reggie's car and followed the ambulance to the hospital.

* * *

**Oh, Geez, I hope you guys don't end up hating me after reading this. I _did_ warn you in one of the earlier chapters and before writing this one. Please don't hate me! cowering**

**I hope this chapter moved you as much as it moved me. Well, at the end anyway. I put in a little more in this chapter than in any other. I know I said I'd finish this before Christmas, but I'd probably finish this before the end of November. **

**As a side note, I'd just like to say, suicide is never the answer. Not only are you killing yourself but you're killing everyone else inside who loves you :(**


	17. Epilogue

"Ladies and gentleman, I now give you the class of 2005!" Mr. Weatherbee bellowed from the stage.

The audience erupted in applause and cheers. Hats were thrown up towards the heavens. Students were laughing, hugging each other excitedly. Some wept tears of joy. They had finally crossed the border to adulthood. Each looked on to their future with a mix of eagerness and dread. Some were prepared and some weren't. But one thing was certain. Joy was clearly expressed onto the face of all highschool graduates present. That is, all but four.

Betty Cooper, who was separated from her friends since she was an Honors graduate and had to sit way at the front with the other Honors students, quickly made her way through the throng of crowd to where she thought her friends sat. She had been asked to be valedictorian for the ceremony but found herself in no position to go on stage and present the emotional speech after what had happened just two months ago. She just couldn't do it. They had asked Dilton Doiley to do it then.

She finally spotted Reggie and Veronica a few rows away and made her way over to them. Betty first hugged Veronica. Then she hugged Reggie. No congratulatory words were exchanged. Together, the three of them made their way toward the area where parents and students came together again.

"Look at you! Look at _you_! My son graduated! Oh, I am so happy, look at you!"

Betty smiled at Mrs. Clayton, a feisty middle-aged woman, who was now hugging the life out of Chuck. She knew their parents wanted to meet them and congratulate them too. But there was one couple she and the others wanted to see first. She finally spotted the bright orange hair that stood out in the crowd and headed towards her.

Mary Andrews broke into a warm smile and Betty quickened her pace to bridge the gap between them. She enveloped her in an embrace and cried silently. Mrs. Andrews quietly patted her back, her own tears falling freely now.

Fred Andrews swallowed hard as he embraced first Reggie and then Veronica. "We're so happy for you. You guys finally graduated. I see a bright future for all of you."

"Thank you, Mr. Andrews. It meant a lot to us that you came out here to see us all," Reggie said sincerely.

"We wouldn't have missed it for the world."

"There, there, dear," Mary pushed Betty gently back to look at her tear-stained face. "One must not ponder over terrible things so long. What happened to Archie was fate." She wiped away the tears that remained on Betty's face. "It is time to think about bigger, better things." Betty nodded.

The gang said their goodbyes to the Andrews and promised to come visit them more often. They met up with their respective parents, exchanged congratulations, and left. There was an after-graduation party, but none of them wanted to attend it.

As the three teens walked out of the auditorium, Veronica asked, "Juggie already left, didn't he?" Reggie nodded yes and Veronica sighed in frustration. "I told him to wait for us. He didn't listen to me."

"Well, I wouldn't blame him for not wanting to stay any longer in there," Reggie said, thoughtful.

Not another word was spoken as they piled into the car, Reggie at the wheel and Betty next to him. Veronica sat in the back. They drove to the cemetery in silence.

As they walked into the large black gate, they immediately spotted Jughead, sitting cross-legged next to the grave. When the gang moved closer, they could see he was crying silently. Veronica felt a lump form in her throat as she walked toward Jughead. She won't stop him. Tonight, they would release all their feelings, emotions that they've kept within them since Archie passed away. _Since he left us all_, she thought sadly.

_I'll always remember,_

_It was late afternoon._

_It lasted forever,_

_And ended so soon._

Her tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she wordlessly sat next to Jughead. He must have expected them since he didn't bother to turn to his side to see who it was. Veronica looked at his face and felt her heart break. His eyes were rimmed red, his cheeks were gaunt. There were dark circles under his eyes. She had never seen him like that.

_You were all by yourself,_

_Staring up at a dark gray sky._

_I was changed._

She looked back at the grave. She remembered the letter Archie had written to them before going away forever. That he did this for two reasons._ 'I want to stay with Cheryl forever. Despite what she did, I could never leave her. I love her too much.' _Veronica's eyes squeezed shut as she remembered that. Archie had lost it. After finding Cheryl and Scott together, he became crazy. _Archiekins, why did you leave us? It could have all worked out. We could have been friends again. We could have put all this behind us and started fresh..._

_In places no one would find,_

_All your feelings so deep inside._

_Deep inside..._

She reached for Juggie's hand and gently squeezed it. He didn't pull his hand away. But he didn't squeeze back. His hand was cold, so cold. Just like his eyes.

_It was there that I realized,_

_That forever was in your eyes._

_The moment I saw you cry,_

_The moment that I saw you cry._

'_The second reason is that I could never bring myself to face you guys again. Especially Betty.' _Betty wanted to scream. She wanted to sob uncontrollably._ Archie, if you knew anything about me, you know I'd have forgiven you, _she thought to herself. That had been the whole problem. Archie had never known Betty. And because of that, he had taken his own life. Betty wrapped her arms around herself and leaned against Reggie in a moment of weakness. _A part of me will always love you, Archie. For what we had together in the past. _She looked up to Reggie and he looked back at her, a warm, tender smile on his lips. She smiled back and looked back at Archie's grave. _Rest in peace, dear Archie. _She knelt down next to his grave, kissed her hand and gently touched his grave. Tears threatened her eyes once more. She quickly got up and walked away to the car.

_It was late in SeptemberAnd I've seen you before _

_And you were..._

_You were always the cold one._

_But I was never that sure_

_You were all by yourself_

_Staring at a dark gray sky_

_I was changed._

_So, this is it, Arch? You just left and thought it would make everything better? _Reggie asked as he looked towards the sky. He sighed heavily. _That's just like you, isn't it? Always caring about yourself. _He willed himself not to cry. He couldn't. He needed to be strong for Betty._ I've always wanted Betty. But never at this cost. _Tears were starting to blur his vision. He walked closer to the grave and stopped in front of it, placing four red roses at the top. _From each of us._ _We were bitter rivals but we were still friends. I love you, man. We'll always remember you. _He stepped back, and lowered his head in silence while waiting for Jughead and Veronica.

_In places no one would find,_

_All your feelings so deep inside._

_Deep inside..._

_It was there that I realized,_

_That forever was in your eyes,_

_The moment I saw you cry._

_Why did you leave me, Arch? If I knew you'd do this, I'd have never told you about Cheryl. This is all my fault. _He knew Veronica was still holding his hand, trying to make him feel better. On any other occasion, his heart would be beating out of control. Now, it didn't do a thing for him.

_All I wanted was for things to be back to normal, for me and Archie to be best friends again, the way we used to be. And I screwed up. _His eyes stung with unshed tears. It had always been Archie who got in trouble and always Jughead who got him out of it. Archie was the one who made mistakes. _But this time, I made a mistake so big, it cost me the life of my best friend._

He felt Reggie's hand on his shoulder. "Jug?"

Jughead sighed. He didn't want his friends to worry about him. "I'm fine, Reg. Let's go." He looked once more at Archie's grave. _I'm never going to forgive myself for what I've done. _He got up and slowly walked out of the cemetery. Reggie saw Betty, who was already at the car, trying to gently coax Jughead into riding back home with them in the car. But Jughead said he wanted to be alone for a while. She let him go.

Veronica stood up too, brushing the dirt off herviolet graduation gownwith her hands. She stood next to Reggie. "Is he going to be alright?" she asked worriedly. Jughead had been acting like this ever since he recovered from the shock of Archie's death. He barely slept, had stopped eating enough. She had never seen him smile. He had never teased her like he used to ever since.

_I wanted to know you._

"It'll take some time, Ron. Arch and Jug, they were like brothers. They were the best of friends, they grew up together. We need to watch out for him, though. He's not looking too well since Archie died." He briefly wondered if he should tell her about Jughead's earlier feelings for Veronica. But looking at her concerned expression, the hurt and what looked like a glimmer of love in her eyes, he decided to let it be for now.

"C'mon. Let's go." Reggie said quietly, walking through the huge black gate.

"I hope you're right, Reggie," she whispered. _Goodbye, Archiekins. May you be in a much better place now. _And with one final look, Veronica walked to where her friends were waiting for her.

_I wanted to know you._

The wind gently blew the leaves around, carrying with it the fragrance of the roses that lay on top of Archie's grave. A sudden breeze blew over the grave, removing the blanket of leaves that had covered Archie's now resting place, revealing a little of the tombstone.

Archie Andrews

Beloved Son And Friend

1987 - 2005

May His Soul Rest In Eternal Peace.

* * *

**Wow. I can't believe I just finished the story. It took me more than two long years. I'll be honest here. When I first started this story, I had no intention to kill Archie or Cheryl off. Heck, it wasn't even going to be an angsty fic. But things changed over the years, I guess. I don't really hate Archie. I think he's good at heart, even though he's got commitment phobia. But with his philandering ways, I brought Archie into a more negative light.**

**The song's by Mandy Moore, called _Cry_, which I'm sure you've all heard of. I was listening to the song while writing this fic and it made it seem so right. If you have the song on you, I suggest reading the story while listening to the song :)**

**There is definitely going to be a sequel (which could be good or bad news for you, depending on how you liked the ending of the story). It will definitely be Veronica/Jughead. And since I'm on a fanfic high right now, it'll be up on Fanfic soon. Definitely before Christmas, if not sooner.**

**Thank you everybody for the wonderful reviews :) You guys are simply great!**


End file.
